A Losing Game
by ciaofay
Summary: Marianne Bradley, Time Lady with a secret, and previous bond to the Doctor. He thought she'd died, but she hadn't, and Marianne had never forgiven him for leaving her. So now, present day Earth, and armed only with a dodgy vortex manipulator, Marianne finds herself befriending a certain medical student, Martha Jones. Coincidence? I think not. Ten X OC
1. Chapter 1

The day was going well for Marianne. For once she hadn t woken up late and had to get dressed and ready in some kind of hurry. She had been able to dress at her leisure, without worrying about what her boss would say. Her boss was incredibly intelligent, but had let it get to his head. He was becoming old, and his bad temper showed it. Despite this, he complimented her daily, and she enjoyed making him proud of her. It wasn t hard for her to impress her, she had an astounding knowledge of the human body, even better than his own.  
Marianne left her house, and felt relaxed with the fact that she could enjoy the sun streaming down on her back as she walked to work, which was unusual. She usually had to get her friend to pick her up on the way.  
She was sorely tempted to whistle as she walked, but she wasn t that crazy yet. She would save the whistling until she was an old lady with twenty cats and no friends. Which was one possibility, but would never happen. She would never be an old lady, that she knew. But she could possibly grow older without friends, due to no fault of her own. She pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind and concentrated on her walk. It would take her twenty minutes to walk to the hospital, she estimated, and if that was right, she could also stop for a coffee on the way.  
She walked into the coffee shop, and whilst waiting for the man behind the counter to make her drink, she drifted off and looked outside. She jolted back awake when she saw her friend, the one who usually drove her to work, being stopped in the street by a man taking his tie off. What was Martha doing? She quickly picked her drink up and rushed outside, to find Martha looking at said man incredulously.  
What s going on? Marianne asked. The man looked at her, grinned and then ran off. Who was that? She asked. Martha shook her head.  
Not got a clue. What are you doing actually ready for once? She asked, smirking slightly at Marianne s faux shocked face.  
I woke up early. What are you doing without your car? Marianne countered, as the two began walking to the hospital.  
I woke up early. Martha grinned, stealing Marianne s coffee and taking a long gulp. The passed the cup back, unaware that she had a foam moustache on her upper lip.  
You have something.. Marianne began, pointing at her own upper lip. Martha blotted the foam with her white sleeve and Marianne nodded.  
So. It s Friday. What are the plans for tonight? Marianne asked, finishing the coffee and dumping it in the nearest bin, which still had smoking cigarettes in the grate at the top.  
It s my brother s birthday, so a lovely family night out is on the cards. Martha said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. So no going out this Friday, I m afraid. She told Marianne, who looked forlorn.  
Well, good luck to you. She replied, smirking at Martha s stressed face.  
You should come! Martha exclaimed, looking desperately at Marianne, silently begging her to join her in the fun family night out.  
Oh... I don t know. Marianne started, wincing at the thought of Clive s new girlfriend, who fawned over Martha like a barbie doll.  
Please. Pretty please. You would be such a life saver. Martha begged, actually stopping in the street and grabbing Marianne s hands, pleading with her to come.  
Oh, alright. But you re buying the first drinks. Marianne said, rolling her eyes and dragging her back to start walking again.  
Fine by me. Martha grinned. Hey! Watch it mate! Martha shouted as a man dressed all in leather with a helmet on slammed into her. The man looked at Martha before walking into the hospital.  
Marianne bit her lip. Slab? She thought. It can t be. I haven t seen them for years!  
She ignored her thoughts and followed Martha into the hospital. She went straight to herlocker, which was next to Martha s, and unlocked it, recoiling as she got a weak electric shock.  
Ah. She hissed, and Martha had done the same. They both looked at each other, with an odd expression on their faces.  
Come on, we have to hurry up. Mr Stoker likes it when his students are early. Marianne told Martha, and they hurried off walking again, eager to be in Mr Stoker s good books for the day.  
They found him walking into a ward, with a few other medical students trailing behind.  
Marianne rolled her eyes at who they went to. Florence Finnigan. The most irritating patient she s had to deal with. Never happy, that woman, even when they d found her a fluffy dressing gown.  
I was all right till this morning, and then, I don t know, I woke up and I felt all dizzy again. It was worse than when I came in. She complained. Mr Stoker leaned forward and took her pulse.  
Pulse is slightly thready. Well, let s see what Britain s finest might suggest. Any ideas, Morgenstern? Mr Stoker asked, stepping back and letting his students take his place.  
Morgenstern looked around, eager for one of his friends to help him out.  
Dizziness can be a sign of early onset diabetes. He suggested.  
Hardly early onset, if you ll forgive me, Miss Finnegan. Any more ideas? Bradley? He asked, turning to Marianne.  
She looked at Florence s pale skin. Anemia. She may need more iron in her diet. She said. Stoker smiled.  
Very close. Continue, Marianne. He pushed her.  
Um.. Miss Finnegan, what did you have to eat last night? She asked.  
Salad. Florence replied.  
And the night before? She asked again.  
Salad. Okay. Anemia.. And maybe she needs more salt? Which in a way would be a cure for anemia. Marianne said, knowing full well what she needed.  
Brilliant, Marianne Bradley! You ve done it again! Mr Stoker exclaimed, and they all began walking to the next bed. Marianne smiled. Hippocrates himself expounded on the virtues of salt. Recommended the inhalation of steam from seawater. He told them all. Martha nudged Marianne s arm and smiled. Martha was awfully proud of Marianne when she got something right, which was most occasions. She actually had the feeling that Marianne knew it all, but didn t want to seem cocky or something to that extent.  
Marianne glared at the next patient. The man who had been talking to Martha outside.  
Now then, Mr John Smith. A very good morning to you. How are you today? Stoker asked.  
Aw, not so bad. Still a bit.. You know. Blah. Mr Smith replied, grimacing slightly.  
John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains. Mr Stoker began.  
Sounds like an alliace. Marianne spat. She d realised who Mr John Smith was. She d had a friend that went by that name, and only one person she knew would use that name and be able to do the incident with the tie before. She rolled her eyes and stepped back. John Smith looked up at her, his eyes wide and knowing. He nodded at her slightly.  
Mr Stoker ignored Marianne. Jones, why don t you see what you can find? Amaze me. He told her.  
Martha bent down and pulled her stethoscope out of her pocket. That wasn t very clever, running around outside, was it? She asked, looking at him as if he were a five year old schoolboy.  
Sorry? John asked, looking confused and staring up at Martha with wide brown eyes.  
On Chancery Street, Mr Smith. Marianne spoke up, sounding incredibly bored as she glared at the man. John looked up at her, and realisation dawned on his face. He looked ecstatic. Marianne rolled her eyes and looked away.  
You came up to me and took your tie off. Martha told him, seriously wondering if he had a twin brother.  
Really? What did I do that for? John asked, still happy about his discovery. He could have sensed her from miles away.  
I don t know, you just did. Martha told him, shaking her head and looking confused herself.  
Not me. I was here, in bed. Ask the nurses. John insisted, shaking his head and holding a hand up.  
Have you got a brother? Martha asked, her eyebrows drawn together in full blown confusion.  
No, not any more. Just me.. And.. Well. Yeah. Just me. John replied, after seeing Marianne looking furious and shaking her head.  
As time passes and I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones. Mr Stoker sighed, shaking his head in exasperation.  
Sorry right. Martha said, turning to look at her boss quickly before plugging her stethoscope into her ears and placing the instrument onto John s chest. She looked puzzled. Marianne bit her tongue to stop her from saying anything. Martha looked around to Marianne, shaking her head and looking puzzled. Marianne shrugged her shoulders.  
She moved the stethoscope to the other side of the chest. Marianne looked disgusted when John winked at Martha.  
I weep for further generations. Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones? Mr Stoker asked, walking forwards, intent on speeding up this menial task.  
Um.. Stomach cramps? Martha suggested, standing up straight and taking the ear pieces out of her ears and placing the instrument back around her neck.  
That is a symptom, not a diagnosis. And you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient s chart. Mr Stoker reprimanded, and Martha shifted uncomfortably under everyone s gaze. Marianne looked around, and was startled to see John staring at her, with that same comforting look he used to give her, oh so long ago now. She turned away, and let her back face him. She was not ready to do this.  
She watched as Mr Stoker picked up John s chart, and consequently drop it again due to an electric shock.  
That happened to me and Marianne this morning. Martha told him, and Marianne nodded.  
I had the same thing on the door handle. Morgenstern spoke up, raising her hand timidly.  
And me, on the lift. Swales said.  
That s only to be expected. There s a thunderstorm moving in and lightning is a form of static electricity. As was first proven by- anyone? Mr Stoker asked, shaking his head at the little knowledge of Science his students had.  
Benjamin Franklin. John Smith said. Marianne gritted her teeth.  
Correct! Mr Stoker exclaimed, smiling delightfully at the sick man.  
My mate Ben, that was a day and a half. I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked... John began.  
Shut up, just shut up. Marianne thought. Drawing attention to himself AGAIN.  
Quite. Mr Stoker replied, looking slightly creeped out.  
And then I got electrocuted. John concluded. He just can t help himself, Marianne thought.  
Moving on. Mr Stoker said, rolling his eyes and walking away. I think perhaps a visit from psychiatric. He said quietly.  
Marianne. Someone hissed. Marianne turned around, and saw John sat there, eagerly wanting to talk to her.  
Doctor.. No. Just no. She told him, before walking away and continuing where her colleagues were walking.  
~ Later that day, Marianne and Martha were in the kitchen. Martha was on the phone and Marianne was collapsed in a chair, thinking of the olden days.  
No, listen, I ve worked out a plan. We tell Annelise that the buffet tonight is one hundred per cent carbohydrate, and she won t turn up. Martha grinned into her phone, and even Marianne smiled at that. In this weather? I m not going out, it s pouring down. She continued to say.  
Marianne looked out the window at the suddenly dreary weather. So much for a nice sunny day.  
The rain dripped miserably down the window.

Well, you just got lucky. Martha said into her phone. Marianne then stood up, and began pacing the small room, wondering what the hell she should do.  
Escape? Get out as soon as she can? Try and find another vortex manipulator? Get as far away from the Doctor as possible, was the only thing she wanted to do.  
But listen, I ll tell you what we ll do.. Martha said, but Marianne had stopped listening. The rain was now torrential, positively stair rods.  
And suddenly, the rain was flying upwards. Marianne was transfixed, staring out the window as if her life depended on it. What the hell was happening?  
She touched Martha s arm gently.  
What? She asked, covering the mouthpiece on her phone.  
The rain. Martha, the rain is flying up. Marianne replied.  
Suddenly, they were thrown to the floor in a violent eruption, an earthquake of some sort. Most things in the kitchen cupboards fell out onto the floor, and the girls had to cover their heads.  
Doctor.. We need the Doctor. Marianne told Martha, now eager to find him.  
Martha. It s night. It was lunchtime. They heard from the corner of the room. They turned, and there, was a shaking Swales.  
It s not night. Marianne told her.  
It s got to be. It s dark. Swales replied, and they both looked out the window. They were on the moon.

We re on the moon. Martha gasped.  
The Doctor, we need him. Now. Marianne said, pleading with Martha to hurry up and follow her.  
We re on the moon. We re on the bloody moon. Martha marvelled.  
Marianne grabbed Martha s hand and dragged her out the room.  
Florence Finnegan tried to stop them. Have you seen- I m sorry. Martha told her, eager to know who this Doctor was that Marianne kept waffling on about.  
When they entered his ward, it was chaotic. People were panicking and screaming.  
Alright, everyone back to bed, we ve got emergency but we ll sort it out! Martha told them.  
Doctor! Marianne exclaimed, looking around. The safest place to be when emergency strikes is by the Doctor s side, she knew that.  
I m here, I m here. He told her, and his voice.. It was almost comforting.. Loving. She turned to him with a stony face.  
Come on. She told him, her voice void of emotion, and she led him to where Martha was stood at the window.  
Martha tried to open it. Don t! We ll lose all the air! Swales sobbed, trying to pull her hand back.  
But they re not exactly airtight. If the air was going to get sucked out it would have happened straight away, but it didn t. So how come? Martha asked, looking around for Marianne s confirmation. She did a double take when she saw Marianne stood next to John Smith, who was now wearing a suit and converse.  
Very good point! Brilliant, in fact. What was your name? The Doctor asked her.  
Martha. And it was Jones, wasn t it? He asked. Well then, Martha Jones, the question is, how are we still breathing? He asked.  
We can t be! Swales exclaimed, looking frantic. Marianne rolled her eyes.  
Obviously we are, don t waste time. Marianne snapped, her arms folded across her chest with a storm raging in her eyes. She was not happy to be there.  
Exactly. Martha, what have we got? Is there a balcony on this floor.. Or a veranda, or...? The Doctor asked her.  
By the patients lounge. She told him, not looking at all concerned for her probable death.  
Fancy going out? He asked her.  
Okay. Martha laughed.  
We might die. The Doctor warned.  
We might not. Martha laughed again.  
He smiled and turned to Marianne, holding his arm out for her. She ignored it. He tried not to look hurt. Marianne, please. He choked out. She ignored the arm and simply walked away. Martha looked at as she knew him, John, with a confused look on her face.  
They followed Marianne to the patient's lounge. Marianne had already opened the doors and was stood out, looking at the surface of the moon.  
We ve got air! How does that work? Martha asked as she joined her best friend.  
Just be glad it does. Marianne snapped.  
You okay? The Doctor asked Martha, ignoring Marianne s bad mood.  
Yeah. Martha told him.  
What do you think it is? The Doctor asked.  
Extraterrestrial. Got to be. I don t know, a few years ago that would ve sounded mad. But these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben, Christmas, those Cyber things. And Marianne never stops trying to do her own alien investigations. She sneered. Marianne looked down as the Doctor smiled proudly at her. I had this cousin, Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home. Martha said sadly.  
I m sorry. The Doctor told her. I was there. In the battle. Marianne s head snapped up. He nodded at her.  
I promise you, Mr Smith, we will find a way out. If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back. There s got to be a way, right Marianne? Martha asked the girl, turning to her. Marianne shook a piece of blonde hair out of her eyes and shrugged. Martha looked displeased and turned back to the Doctor.  
It s not Smith, by the way. That s not my real name. Who are you, then? Martha asked.  
I m the Doctor. He told her.  
That s who Marianne wanted to find before. She was desperate to find The Doctor. Martha told him, smiling at Marianne who was blushing.  
Don t take it personally. I just don t fancy dying right now. She spat. Although the Doctor s smile faded slightly, it didn t lose its brilliance.  
So what.. You re just the Doctor though? Martha asked.  
Yeah. He told her.  
As far as I m concerned, you ve got to earn that title. Martha told him. If Marianne didn t fully trust him, neither did she.  
Well, I d better work on gaining your trust. The Doctor said, somewhat to Martha, but he was staring at Marianne when he said it. He watched as she bent down, picked up a pebble and launched it onto the moon. The pebble bounced off an invisible barrier.  
There must be a force field somewhere.. She grunted.  
If that s like a bubble sealing us in, that means this is the only air we ve got. What happens whe it runs out? Martha asked Marianne.  
How many people in this hospital? The Doctor asked.  
I don t know.. A thousand? Martha asked, again looking to Marianne for confirmation.  
One thousand people. Suffocating. The Doctor told her, snapping his teeth shut.  
Why would anyone do that? Martha asked, disgusted and a little bit terrified.  
Head s up! Ask them yourself! 


	2. Chapter 2

Ah! I'm really sorry for those of you on fanfiction who had trouble with the format of the last chapter, it was in paragraphs and such but I used the new copy and paste thing, and it didn't go down well. Hopefully this chapter will be different, but let me know!

And did you watch the trailer?! My parents were looking at me as if I'd just killed someone when I quoted it all :(

Anyway, allons-y!

As the Judoon ships descended, Marianne sucked in some air. People from all over the hospital ran to the windows and stared at what was probably the first alien invasion they'd seen up close. Marianne turned and looked inside and was surprised to see the usually calm but grumpy Mr Stoker gawping out the window.

The aliens- Marianne thought they were Judoons- marched from their ships to the hospital. Marianne rolled her eyes when she heard a few screams.

"Aliens. That's aliens. Real, proper aliens." Martha breathed.

"Judoon." The Doctor said, and Marianne smiled at herself. She'd got it right.

The trio on the balcony walked back inside the hospital and watched as some of the Judoon entered the building. They hid behind some quite large plants and observed as the Judoon scanned each human and drew a big black cross on the back of their hand.

"Oh, look down there, you've got a little shop. I like a little shop." The Doctor grinned, pointing to the ground floor shop.

"Oh you and your shops." Marianne grimaced, without any sentimentality in her voice. She sounded frustrated. The Doctor winced and his smile dropped.

"Never mind that! What are Judoon?" Martha demanded, looking slightly more than terrified as one walked straight past them.

"Galactic police? Would you call them that?" Marianne asked the Doctor. He nodded.

"Well, police for hire. More like interplanetary thugs." He shrugged.

"Wait.. Marianne. You know about this?" Martha gasped, turning around and shooting her best friend an odd look.

"Well.. Yeah. But now's not the time to be explaining." The girl retorted. "If you didn't notice, they brought us to the moon!"

"Neutral territory. According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, and they isolated us. That rain? Lightning? That was them, using an H20 scoop." The Doctor told Martha.

"What's that about, 'galactic law'? Where'd you get that from? If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"

"No, but I like that. Good thinking. No, it's more simple. They're making a catalogue, it means they're after something non-human, which is very bad news for Marianne and I." The Doctor said, rubbing one hand on the back of his hair before tugging on his earlobe.

"Why?" Martha asked, looking between Marianne and the Doctor. "Oh, you're kidding me. Don't be ridiculous. I KNOW Marianne. Stop looking at me like that." Martha demanded, trying to get the Doctor to stop looking at her with his big eyes and raised eyebrows.

"Come on, then." Marianne said, standing up and walking away with her hands in her lab coat pockets. The Doctor stared after her slightly before helping Martha up and following.

"Troop five, floor one. Troop six, floor two. Identify humans and find the transgressor. Find it." The chief Judoon demanded. Marianne turned around with wide eyes at the Doctor and Martha and began sprinting away, with the other two following after.

When they arrived at an empty room, the Doctor and Marianne walked over to a computer in the room. He stared at it for a moment before Marianne sighed.

"Use the sonic." She snapped, before walking away to greet Martha as she walked into the room.

"They've reached third floor. What's that thing?" She asked, gawping at the sonic.

"Sonic screwdriver." Both the Doctor and Marianne said together. Martha then turned to Marianne with a hurt look in her eyes.

"Well, if you're not gonna tell me properly!" She said, sounding hurt too. Marianne visibly drooped.

"No, really, it is. It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic. Look." The Doctor told her, holding it up so she could see.

"What else have you got? A laser spanner?" Martha asked, expecting him to laugh and say no.

"I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman." He cringed. Marianne glared at him before pushing him aside and taking his place in front of the computer. He watched her, flinching when she slammed her hands on the screen in frustration.

"Oh, this computer! They've locked it down." She growled, trying to log on in vain.

"Judoon platoon upon the moon." The Doctor said ominously. Luckily for Marianne he didn't see her very faint smile. It was gone in a second. "I was just travelling past, Mar. I swear. I didn't know you were here. I wasn't looking for you. But I noticed these plasma coils around the hospital, and that lightning. Been building up for two days now, so I checked in. I thought something was going on inside, it turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above." He told her, running hands through his hair as she looked down at the ground when he mentioned looking for her.

"Of course you weren't looking for me." Marianne said, barely audible, with sadness in her tone.

This made Martha snap.

"Alright! I've had it! How do you two know each other?" She demanded. Marianne shifted uncomfortably, but the Doctor smiled.

"We were friends on our home planet.. Best friends." He said.

"More like bonds." Marianne interrupted quietly, busying herself with the computer. "I don't want to talk about this." She snapped, and Martha looked at the ground and nodded. She'd been lied to a lot by this woman, but she understood that she had to lie.

"Okay. But later.. You tell me everything. So.. What are they looking for?" Martha asked, turning from being stern to curious.

"Something that looks human, but isn't." The Doctor said.

"Like you two. Apparently." Martha sneered, crossing her arms across her chest and looking indignant.

"Like us. But not us." Marianne told her. "That's important."

"Haven't they got a photo?" Martha asked, seemingly frustrated. The Doctor nodded, walked forwards slightly and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Might be a shape changer." Marianne replied, before the Doctor could.

"Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?" She asked, moving forwards to be closer to the pair.

"If they declare the hospital guilty of harbouring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution." The Doctor explained, moving unconsciously towards Marianne, who stepped away.

"All of us?" Martha asked, gritting her teeth and suddenly feeling faint. This moon air wasn't good for her.

"Yep. If we can find this thing first.. Oh! Just that they're thick! Judoon are thick! They are completely thick! They wiped the records. Oh, that's clever." The Doctor said sarcastically, nodding his head and pacing around the room, running hands through his hair non stop.

Marianne, meanwhile continued working, desperately trying to find some glitch in the system that would bring all the files back. Trying to save this hospital was not looking to be an easy feat.

"What are you looking for?" Martha asked Marianne, looking over her shoulder at the computer.

"Don't know. Any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms. Maybe there's a back up. Try that Mar." The Doctor shouted over. Marianne nodded.

"Do not call me Mar." She snapped. He looked fairly sad but nodded.

"Calm down and just keep working. I'll go and ask Mr Stoker, he might know." Martha told her, placing a hand over hers supportively before running out to find their boss.

"Marianne." The Doctor said quietly. Marianne looked up from the computer. "Please don't be like this. I didn't have a choice!" He exclaimed.

"You did. You left! You left me! Our life! Our future!" She hissed back. "I don't want to do this here." She told him, going back to the computer. The Doctor swore gently under his breath before beginning pacing again.

"Restored." She said quietly after a while, before moving to the door when she heard Martha running down to meet them.

"I've restored the backup." Marianne told her.

"I found her." Martha said, gulping for air and breathing heavily, a haunted look in her eyes.

"You what?" The Doctor exclaimed. As two Slabs walked into the room, he subconsciously grabbed Marianne's hand and began running. "Run!"

He then took Martha's hand and the trio began sprinting away from the men in leather. They sprinted down the stairs, followed by the Slabs. They met the Judoon on their way, who were stamping up the stairs. Marianne growled in frustration and they dodged out a doorway. They continued running, the Slabs not far behind. Martha was already lagging behind, her feet seeming heavy. They sprinted straight into the Radiology room, where the Doctor shut and locked the door.

"When I say now, press the button." The Doctor panted, as Marianne snatched her hand out of his and walked to the buttons.

"I don't know which one." Martha said, looking at them all.

"Find out!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Let's look at the manual." Marianne suggested, and she grabbed the large operator's manual from over their head just as the Slab broke through the door. Marianne scanned the book with her Time Lady abilities.

"Now!" The Doctor exclaimed, gritting his teeth after using his sonic on some machinery. Marianne pressed the right button and radiation zapped the slab, his skeleton visible. It fell to the ground.

Marianne let out the big breath of air she had been holding in.

"What did you do?" Martha asked carefully, panting heavily and staring at the inert leather man.

"Increased the radiation by five thousand per cent. Killed him dead." The Doctor announced, looking pleased with himself. Marianne once again looked at the ground.

"Isn't that likely to kill you?" Martha asked, aware that he too must have absorbed the radiation.

"It's only radiation." Marianne said, sneering to some extent.

"We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery. Marianne there used to throw them at me." He laughed. He'd hoped the memory would have made her smile, but it didn't. If anything, her frown deepened as she looked down. "It's safe to come out. I've absorbed it all." He said quietly. "I just need to expel it." He started preparing himself and then began jumping and hopping on his feet, gritting his teeth and muttering a few words.

"If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe." He grunted, before shouting "OUT!" over and over again. He hopped on one foot before snapping his left shoe off and dumping it in the bin. He looked up proudly at the girls. One was staring at him as if he were an idiot, the other was glaring at him with hatred.

"You're completely mad." Martha laughed, staring at him.

"Yeah. You look daft with one shoe." Marianne told him quietly, he looked up at her and was shocked to see her gaze had somewhat softened and a faint smile was playing on her lips. He grinned at her, pulled the other Converse off and dumped that into the bin too.

"Barefoot on the moon!" He grinned, putting his hands on his hips and thinking he looked cool. Martha frowned and walked slowly over to the Slab, worrying that it would suddenly come alive and grab her.

"So what is this thing? And where's it from? The planet Zovirax?" She asked, poking it delicately with a long finger.

"It's just a Slab. Basic slave drones, see? Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish." The Doctor stated, standing up and turning his nose up at the Slab.

"It came with that woman, Mrs Finnegan. It was working for her. Just like a servant." Martha said, realising as she said it.

Marianne looked over at the smoking radiation machine and squeaked. The Doctor's head snapped to where she was looking. He gasped and rushed over to it.

"My sonic screwdriver." He said sadly, pulling out his melted sonic screwdriver.

"She was one of the patients, but-" Martha began, before Marianne put one hand up to silence her. She shut up and watched as Marianne actually looked sympathetic at the man she clearly hated.

"My sonic screwdriver." He said sadly again.

"Whatever. She had a straw, like some kind of vampire." Martha said, eyes bugging and tone high pitched.

"I loved my sonic screwdriver!" He exclaimed, showing Marianne who nodded, despite her still hostile look in her eyes, she felt his pain.

"Doctor!" Martha growled, desperate for him to listen. Marianne got her steely look back when he snapped out of it.

"Sorry." He smiled, tossing the sonic in a bin. "You called me 'Doctor.'" He grinned, feeding his hands into his pocket. Martha glared at him before shaking her head.

"Anyway! Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mr Stoker's blood." Martha told him.

"I said she had anemia." Marianne said quietly, letting her head fall into her hands with the irony. Stupid Florence Finnegan's smile when she diagnosed her.

"Funny time to take a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding." The Doctor noted, his tone light.

"Unless... Shape changer. Internal shape changer. She wasn't drinking the blood.. She was assimilating it." Marianne told him, having a brain wave.

"Yes! Genius! If she can assimilate Mr Stoker's blood, mimic the morphology, she can register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!" The Doctor exclaimed, extremely excited.

He took off sprinting, checking behind him as he ran to make sure Marianne wasn't glaring at him or something to that extent. Marianne grabbed both his and Martha's arms and pulled them behind a water tank as a Slab walked past. As soon as it walked past, she dropped the Doctor's hand.

"That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs. It's lucky someone was watching for the other one." Marianne said quietly, glaring at her shoes.

"Thanks." The Doctor said very quietly.

"Well.. What about you?" Martha asked Marianne. "I don't know why you're in a hospital when you're an alien.. But do you have anyone else?"

"Uh. Humans. We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, you're asking her personal questions. Come on." The Doctor moaned, dancing on his tiptoes. Marianne shook her head. Martha simply smiled.

The Doctor didn't want to know if Marianne had anyone else, she thought to herself.

"I like that. 'Humans.' I'm still not convinced you're an alien." Martha sneered, stepping away. Marianne followed and was immediately scanned by a Judoon.

"Non-human." It barked, and went to shoot her, but the Doctor stepped in front of her. The Judoon, now momentarily confused, paused in the shooting. The trio used this time to sprint away. The Judoon shot after them, but they dodged the bullets and rushed into a room, locking the door behind them. When the Doctor looked up at Marianne, he noticed she was shaking.

"Are you..?" He asked her, walking over and grabbing her hand. She squeezed it.

"Fine." She told him, before snatching her hand away and walking away from him. She was furious that he had tried to save her by being killed himself. When they turned around, they noticed humans collapsed all around them, gasping for breath and clutching their dry throats.

"They've done this floor. Come on. The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky." The Doctor said, walking down the corridor and looking worriedly at all the choking people around him.

"How are you feeling? Are you all right?" The Doctor asked Martha, who looked shell shocked.

"I'm running on adrenaline." Martha gasped.

"Welcome to my world." The Doctor said dryly, stopping and looking around for a room/

"What about the Judoon?" Martha asked.

"Great big lung reserves. Won't slow them down." Marianne told her, wondering what the Doctor had stopped for.

"Where's Mr Stoker's office?" He asked. Now she knew.

"It's this way."

So yes, please let me know if the paragraphs are out and it's all a mess. Hope you enjoyed. :-) 


	3. Chapter 3

The trio took off sprinting once again, dodging the patients stumbling about wildly, gasping for air. Marianne herself was beginning to feel light headed, from all the angst the stupid Time Lord had been putting on her. They rushed to Mr Stoker's office and barged in, expecting to find Mrs Finnegan with her straw.

She wasn't there. "She's gone! She was here." Martha promised, breathing wildly and looking incredibly annoyed. Marianne bent down to look at Mr Stoker. He was a nice man, underneath it all. She liked him.

"Drained him dry." She said quietly, looking at his pale and papery skin. She closed his eyes using one hand. She stood back up when the Doctor crouched down next to her.

"I was right. She's a plasmavore." The Doctor noted, too looking at Mr Stoker's limp skin. Marianne sighed deeply.

"What was she doing on Earth?" Martha asked.

"Hiding. On the run. Like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro. What's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all. Come on." He said, feeding his hands into his pocket and leading the way out. Martha quickly put her hand on Mr Stoker's lifeless heart before following the two Time Lord's out the door.

"Think, think, think. If I was a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" The Doctor asked, tapping his head and speaking through gritted teeth. Marianne coughed and pointed at an MRI sign on a door. He grinned. "Oh, she's as clever as me. As us. Almost." He noted, before flipping around to find Martha.

"Find the non-human. Execute." The Judoon barked. Marianne gritted her teeth once more and turned to the Doctor, not knowing what to do.

"Martha, stay here. I need time. You're going to have to hold them up." He told her, running a hand through his hair, knowing what he would have to do next.

"How do I do that?" Martha asked, looking at him as if he'd just dribbled down his shirt.

"Martha, forgive me for this. It's to save a thousand lives, it means nothing. Honestly. Nothing." He promised her, before kissing her briefly and without any passion. He then grabbed Marianne's hand and pulled her into the MRI room.

"That was nothing?" Martha asked incredulously.

When Marianne and the Doctor walked into the room, they saw Florence Finnegan working on the MRI machine, which was making pretty weird noises.

"Oh. Mrs Finnegan, have you seen those things.. Those great big space rhino things? Rhino's from space. And we're on the moon. Space rhino's on the moon." Marianne told her, somewhat uncomfortable with talking to a Plasmavore.

"Hold them!" Florence shrieked, and Marianne squeaked as a Slab took hold of her and another took the Doctor.

"That thing, that big machine thing, is it supposed to be making that noise?" The Doctor asked, looking at both the machine and Marianne worriedly.

"You wouldn't understand." Florence told him, matter-of-factly. Marianne shook her head.

"Isn't that a magnetic resonance imaging thing?" Marianne asked. "I'd understand. He wouldn't. He's an idiot." She said, a hint of spite in her voice. The Doctor winced, but took it in his stride.

"The magnetic setting is now set to 50,000 Tesla." Florence told her, grinning through her teeth. Marianne whistled through hers.

"Blimey, that's strong." The Doctor said.

"I can send out a magnetic pulse that will fry the brain-stems of every living thing within 250,000 miles. Except me, safe in this room." Florence told them, looking around the MRI room with a satisfied look on her face. Marianne winced.

"Hold on. I did Geography for GCSE, and I passed. Doesn't that distance include Earth?" The Doctor asked, seeing that Marianne was unable to speak.

"Only the side facing the moon. The other half will survive. Call it my little gift." She said, chuckling as she said it.

"Why would you do that?" Marianne asked, the venom clear in her voice. She didn't like the thought of someone dictating who lived and who died, it's the opposite of what she stood for and believed in. People should not play God, not that she was a theist.

"With everyone dead, the Judoon ships will be mine, to make my escape."

"Now that's weird, you're talking like you're some sort of an alien." The Doctor said, pretending to look shocked.

"Right-o." Florence grinned.

"No!" Marianne exclaimed, coping the Doctor and letting her eyebrows rise.

"You're joshing me." The Doctor told her. "I'm talking to alien? In hospital? What, has the place got an ET department?"

"It's the perfect hiding place. Blood banks downstairs for a midnight feast and all this equipment that I can use to arm myself." She grinned, gesticulating to the room as she talked.

"So those rhinos.. They're looking for you, Mrs Finnegan?" Marianne asked, pretending to be scared.

"Yes. But I'm hidden."

"Oh. Right! Maybe that's why they're increasing their scans!" The Doctor smiled at her. Marianne watched as Florence's face dropped, and she grimaced.

"I must assimilate." She muttered. "I must appear to be human." She said louder, pulling her straw out her bag. "Now then.. Who should I have? Pretty young girl, or pretty man? I think... Girl." She smirked, and she walked over to Marianne with her straw out.

"Don't you dare go near her! Don't even touch her!" The Doctor roared, for once showing his anger properly. Marianne winced as the straw was stabbed into her neck.

"Stop!" The Doctor screamed, fighting against the Slab's strong leather arms. He shouted out obscenities as Mrs Finnegan began drinking Marianne's blood, and he felt his own blood rushing to his head when he saw her become fainter and fainter in her arms. She grew paler than normal and drooped to the floor. He felt nauseous when he heard the slurping through the straw, and he tried again and again to get out of the vice like grip on his arms, but it was no use. They were too strong.

Mrs Finnegan stood up, and wiped her hand across her crimson mouth. The Doctor had tears in his eyes when he saw his lifeless bond, dying on the floor.

"Doctor..." She whispered coarsely, before her eyes closed for the final time.

The door suddenly burst open, and a couple of Judoon and Martha burst into the room. Florence jumped back guiltily.

"Now see what you've done. This poor woman just died of fright." She said, with no remorse in her voice. Martha looked from her dead best friend to the Doctor, who was openly crying. Not sobbing, not over the top, just standing there with tears dripping down his face. He'd lost too many people.

"Scan her! Confirmation: deceased." The Chief Judoon said after scanning Marianne. The Doctor finally managed to get out of the Slab's arms and he rushed to Marianne and bent down, cradling her head in his arms.

"No, she can't be. Let me through, let me see her." Martha begged, trying to squeeze past the enormous Judoon bodies in the doorway.

"Stop. Case closed."

"But it was her. She killed Marianne. She did it. She murdered my best friend." Martha cried, desperately trying to get to Marianne and the Doctor. She winced as the Doctor stood up and wiped his eyes before pacing around the room with an emotionless face.

"The Judoon have no authority over human crime."

"She's not human." The Doctor said quietly, walking over to Florence and staring her in the eye. "Martha." He said, and pointed at a Judoon. She knew what to do. She snatched one of their guns and threw it to the Doctor, who scanned Florence.

"Non-human." The Chief Judoon concluded. Florence's eyes widened.

"What?! Oh, but it's a mistake, surely. I'm human. I'm as human as they come." She insisted, chuckling.

"She gave her life so they'd find you." Martha spat sadly.

"Confirmed. Plasmavore. I charge you with the crime of murdering the princess of Patrival Regency Nine."

"She deserved it! Those pink cheeks and those blonde curls and that simpering voice. She was begging for the bite of a plasmavore." Florence hissed, bending forwards to make her point clear.

The Judoon shot at her, and then the Slab's. "Verdict. Guilty. Case closed." They said.

Martha rushed over to Marianne and checked her vital's, oblivious to the Doctor's wandering off. He'd left. He'd walked away. He'd lost two of his favourite people in the space of a couple of weeks. He couldn't bare it.

"Scans detect lethal acceleration of mono magnetic pulse." The Judoon barked.

"Well, do something! Stop it!" She exclaimed. "You can't just leave. What's it going to do?" She asked.

"You don't want to worry about that." The Doctor said as he stepped back into the room. Martha smiled up at him, and then decided to concentrate on bringing her friend back. The Doctor walked to the MRI machine and pulled the plug out, disabling it.

Martha worked on Marianne, pumping both of her hearts continuously while counting aloud. She smiled when Marianne shot up, coughing and spluttering and gasping for air that she wasn't getting. Martha too was struggling for air. The Doctor grinned at Marianne and helped her up, she was a bit weak on the knees. He then bent down and picked up an unconscious Martha and they walked through the hospital. Everyone around was either passed out or very weak from the lack of oxygen.

"Come on, come on, come on. Reverse it." The Doctor begged. When it started raining, Marianne let out a sigh of relief and the Doctor smiled. "It's raining, Marianne. It's raining on the moon."

The hospital appeared back on Earth amidst all the crowds of agitated people watching on. Marianne didn't know where the Doctor had gone, but she was happy that she was alive and that Martha was okay too. They were both sat looking thoughtful on a wall outside the hospital when Martha's sister ran over.

"There's thousands of people trying to get in, the whole city's ground to a halt. Dad phoned., cause it's on the news and everything. He was crying. It's been a mess, and what happened? I mean, what really happened? Where were you?" Tish asked, looking incredibly relieved to see both girls there.

Marianne looked up and saw the Doctor stood by the TARDIS. He motioned for her to walk over, so she stood up and slowly walked over to him.

"Hi." She said weakly.

"I'm glad you're alive. I mean.. I didn't know you were alive before today." He told her. She nodded, and leaned on the TARDIS next to him.

After a long silence, the Doctor turned to her. "Come with me." He told her.

"No." She replied, without hesitation.

"Please come with me." He begged, bending down to look into her eyes.

"No." She said again. "I don't think I'll ever be able to forget what you did. After all your promised.. You just.. So, no. I'm not coming with you." She snapped.

"I've missed you." He told her quietly. She shrugged. After another pause, he spoke again. "Why are you training to be a doctor?" He asked.

"I can't help people like you can. I only have a dodgy vortex manipulator. I can't travel far. The only thing I can do is help people here." She told him, before waving with one hand and beginning to walk back to Martha and Tish.

"Wait! Have you missed me?" He called, leaning forwards. She turned around and looked at him.

"Yes." She replied, before running back to Martha, not wanting to listen to him anymore. The Doctor smiled faintly, and walked into his TARDIS. By the time Marianne turned around to see him, he'd gone.

"I am not prepared to be insulted!" Annalise exclaimed, storming out of the pub with her blonde hair blowing furiously as she waddled. Her boyfriend and Martha's dad, Clive, followed.

"She didn't mean it, sweetheart. She just said you look healthy." Clive told her, begging for her to understand.

"No, I did not. I said orange." Francine- Martha's mother- said, following, with Marianne by her side.

"I believe the exact words were, 'an unhealthy orange colour,'" Marianne smirked.

"Why's she getting involved? I don't even know who she is?!" Annalise screamed, pointing at the smirking Marianne, who'd just fist bumped Tish. "Clive, these women are disrespecting me. They've never liked me." She moaned.

"Oh, I can't think why, after you stole my husband." Francine roared.

"I was seduced! I'm entirely innocent! Tell her, Clive!" Annalise shouted, as Martha joined Marianne outside.

"And then she has a go at Martha and Marianne, practically accused them of making the whole thing up." Francine spat.

"Mum, I don't mind. Just leave it." Martha groaned, feeling weary.

Suddenly, Annalise growled and stalked off, with Clive hopelessly following after.

Marianne slowly turned around, not really sure what to do. Against the wall stood the Doctor, watching her with a smile on his face. Marianne tugged Martha's arm and they both walked over.

"I went to the moon today." Martha told him. The Doctor grinned.

"A bit more peaceful that down here." The Doctor replied.

"You never even told me who you are." Martha accused him, and Marianne looked down at her nails. "What sort of species are you?"

"I'm a Time Lord." He told her.

"Is Marianne and Time Lord too?"

"Yes."

"Time Lady." Marianne interrupted, before looking back at her nails.

"Right. Not pompous at all then." Martha grinned.

"I just thought since you saved Marianne's life and I've got a brand new sonic screwdriver which needs road testing, you might fancy a trip." He suggested. Martha's eyes widened, whereas Marianne rolled hers.

"What into space?"

"Well." The Doctor winced.

"I can't. I've got exams. I've got things to do. I have to go into town first thing and pay the rent, I've got my family going mad..." Martha listed, ticking each item off on her fingers.

"If it helps, he travels in time too." Marianne told her, sidling round to the TARDIS and patting the door. It'd been a long time since she'd seen one. The Doctor watched her with curious eyes.

"Get out of here." Martha gasped.

"I can. And I'll prove it." He told her, walking into the TARDIS and disappearing in it. Marianne watched with a fond smile while Martha's face looked puzzled and worried. When it came back, the Doctor stepped out holding his hand.

"Told you!" He exclaimed. Marianne rolled her eyes. Always a fan of drama. "And I know what you're thinking, Marianne Bradley. But this time drama was necessary." He told her. She actually smiled faintly, causing his hearts to beat faster.

"But that was this morning! Oh, my God! You travel in time! But hold on, if you could see me this morning, why didn't you tell me not to go into work?" Martha asked, crossing her arms.

"Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden. Except for cheap tricks." Marianne explained, glaring at the Doctor when she said 'cheap'.

"And that's your spaceship?" Martha asked, pointing to the TARDIS.

"It's called the TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

"Take a look." Marianne told her, pushing the door open slightly. Martha rushed in and the Doctor followed. Marianne smirked when Martha rushed back out again.

"But it's just a box. But it's huge. It's wood!" Martha exclaimed. The Doctor followed her outside.

"It's bigger on the inside." Martha said, with the Doctor and Marianne mouthing the last bit together.

"Is it? I hadn't noticed. All right, then, let's get going. Come on." He told Martha, she walked back inside and the Doctor turned to Marianne. "How about it. One trip. And if it's that awful, you come back. Have you not missed proper travel? With proper aliens? In a TARDIS? Have you not missed the beauty? The-"

"Oh, shut up. I'm coming too." She told him, and she walked onboard. The Doctor grinned to himself, before pulling his tie back on and letting his face drop, pretending to be cool. He walked in and shut the door behind him.

"Ready?" The Doctor asked from the console. Marianne grabbed hold of a railing and pressed a few buttons and levers on her side.

"It's not six people, but two's better than one." She muttered. "I'd hold on." She warned Martha, and pulled her hands to hold onto the console.

Marianne hit a big button and the TARDIS jolted and shook.

"Blimey, it's a bit bumpy." Martha noted.  



	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor was messing about at the console with Marianne, both of them flying the TARDIS through the vortex, with Martha holding on and wondering what the hell was going on.

"But how do you travel in time? What makes it go?" Martha asked, watching with her eyebrows drawn as Marianne shook her head and continuously whacked a button with a mallet.

"Oh, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything. Martha, you don't wanna know. It just does. Hold on tight!" The Doctor exclaimed as they hit the worst of the vortex. The Doctor climbed onto the console near enough, as Marianne used one of her converse clad feet to whack a button. Martha was knocked to the floor and both Marianne and the Doctor fell off the console and bumped into each other. Marianne looked up at him through her lashes and awkwardly moved away. The Doctor adjusted his tie and coughed.

"Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?!" Martha asked, picking herself up and looking around at the two Time Lord's.

"Yes. We both failed it." Marianne said, brushing her hair back and walking to pick up her parka from the floor.

"Now make the most of it. I promised you one trip and one trip only. Outside this door... Brave new world." The Doctor told Martha. Marianne assumed the one trip only thing wouldn't apply to herself... He clearly wanted to make up for what he had done in the past.

Martha looked at them both with a twinkle in her eye and a grin on her face. "Where are we?" She breathed.

"Take a look." The Doctor said, and he gestured with a hand for Marianne and Martha to lead the way. "After you."

Martha walked out first into an Elizabethan street, during the night with a myriad of people barging their way around.

Marianne followed. She grinned. She'd missed this, the sheer excitement of knowing you're in a specific point in history that people would kill to see. And here she was. Converse and all.

"Oh, you are kidding me. You are so kidding me. Oh, my God! We did it. We travelled in time. Where are we? No. Sorry. I gotta get used to this whole new language. When are we?" Martha marvelled, watching as a bemused Marianne pulled her back from a window just as a man dumped a bucket of something out of it. When the Doctor walked out, he too looked bemused as Martha looked around like a lost puppy.

"Somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that." The Doctor apologized, shrugging into his long coat.

"We've seen worse." Martha promised him, and Marianne nodded.

"We've worked late night shifts at A&E." She grimaced, remembering the sleep feigning things she'd seen.

Martha had her turn to look bemused when Marianne and the Doctor both started walking off at exactly the same time, in the same direction without conferring with the other. She smiled before jogging to catch up with them. "But are we safe? I mean, can we move around and stuff?" She asked.

"Of course we can. Why do you ask?" The Doctor asked, as the Time Lord's both stopped walking and turned around to make sure she was alright.

"It's like in the films. You step on a butterfly; you change the future of the human race." Martha told them, her eyes wide.

"Well, tell you what then, don't step on any butterflies." The Doctor told her, before smiling and continuing to walk on.

"What have butterflies ever done to you, Martha? Gosh." Marianne said, before too following the Doctor. Martha rolled her eyes and walked again.

"What if.. I dunno. What if I kill my grandfather?"

"You planning on killing your grandfather that's not alive yet?" Marianne asked, turning her face slightly behind her to look at Martha. Again, Marianne was bemused.

"No." Martha said, bluntly.

"Well then." The Doctor said, smiling to himself. He loved newbies..

"This is London." Martha stated, gesticulating to the houses with straw ceilings, and the cobbled streets.

"I think so. Right about 1599."

"Oh, but hold on. I'm not gonna get carted off as a slave am I?" Martha asked, somewhat embarrassed. Marianne frowned and shook her head.

"Why would they do that?" The Doctor demanded.

"Not exactly white, in case you haven't noticed." Martha sneered. The Doctor frowned too.

"We're not even human. Just walk about like you own the place. Works for me." The Doctor told her reassuringly.

"Used to work for me." Marianne grinned, squeezing Martha's hand.

"Besides, you'd be surprised. Elizabethan England. Not so different from your time. Water cooler moment." The Doctor said, pointing at two people conversing by a water barrel. Marianne smiled.

They walked past a middle aged man preaching. "... And the world will be consumed by flame!"

"Global warming." Marianne grinned. The Doctor chuckled. "And entertainment." She breathed, looking up.

"Ah yes. Popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right, we're just down the river by Southwark right next to.." The Doctor agreed, and looked up to where Marianne was looking. "The Globe Theatre!" He grinned. "Brand new. Just opened. Though strictly speaking, it's not a globe; it's a tetra decagon..."

"14 sides." Marianne interrupted.

"And it's containing the man himself." The Doctor finished. Martha grinned. Not only due to the fact that not that far away from where she was stood, William Shakespeare was sat.. But also because they finished each other's sentences without realising. So much for Marianne hating the Doctor.

Oh, but then she just saw the angry frown Marianne sent the Doctor when he smiled down at her, and how she edged away ever so slighty when his hand brushed hers.

She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. "Whoa.. You don't mean.. Is Shakespeare in there?" She asked.

"Oh yes. Miss Jones, Miss Bradley, will you accompany me to the theatre." He asked, holding both arms out for them to link.

"Yes, Mr Smith. I think I will." Martha grinned, linking his arm. The Doctor turned to Marianne.

"Marianne?" He asked.

"No." She told him, before walking away. The Doctor watched her go, disappointment and disbelief etched across his face.

When he turned back around, Martha smiled apologetically at him. "Right, don't let her bring you down." She warned him. He smiled and nodded, before leading her to the theatre. "What happened with you two? I thought you were meant to be like bonded or something." Martha shrugged, she'd been wondering this for a long time.

The Doctor sighed. "I don't know.. A lot happened. A war happened. But enough of that. I'm sure she'll tell you soon enough. I don't think I could. She didn't really tell me herself, she just left me. Anyway, let's forget that, I want you to have a good time. When you get home, you can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare." The Doctor grinned at her, but Martha could see it didn't reach his eyes. She smiled sadly.

"Then I could get sectioned, dear." She told him, patting his hand and leading him away again.

Meanwhile, Marianne was wandering through the streets, watching life happen. She passed a few houses lit by candlelight.

She looked up when she heard music, and smirked when she saw a man serenading a girl on a balcony. He played the lute, looking up at the beautiful woman.

"Her face was like a winter's moon that lights the traveller's way. Her smile was like a summer's bloom that bursts then fades away. My love is night, my love is day. My love she is my world." The boy sang. The girl on the balcony smiled down sweetly.

"Such sweet music shows your blood to be afire. Why wait we on stale custom for consummation?" She asked.

"Oh, yes. Tonight's the night." The boy replied, standing up straight and moving to her door. She opened it for him. Marianne moved a little closer to watch. She'd never seen anything like this before, and she found it oddly sweet.

"Would you enter, bold sir?" The pretty girl asked coyly, leaning against the wooden door frame. Marianne smiled at her boldness and moved even closer, almost right outside the door. Luckily, neither noticed her.

The boy walked in, and the door was slammed. Marianne only wanted to know what happened next, and so leant her head against the door to listen.

"Lilith, this cannot be the home of one so beautiful. Forgive me, this is foul." He breathed, sounding disgusted. Marianne frowned.

"Sh. Sad words suit not upon a lover's tongue." She replied. Silence ensued, and Marianne assumed they had kissed. "Your kiss transformed me." She heard Lilith snarl, and she stepped back, surprised at her voice. "A suitor should meet his beloved's parents. Mother Doomfinger."

Marianne frowned again, an odd name for a mother. "And Mother Bloodtide."

Marianne heard a loud bang, and the boy gasp terrified. "Soon at the hour of woven words we shall rise again and this fleeting Earth will perish!" Lilith cried. Marianne burst through the door, to find three disgustingly ugly witch women staring at her, and the poor boy passed away on the floor. Marianne gasped, looked up and saw the women staring at her angrily even more. She squeaked, slammed the door shut and started sprinting away from the house.

Martha applauded, and whistled and screamed her cheers as the actors bowed on stage.

"That's amazing! Just amazing. It's worth putting up with the smell. And those are men dressed as women, yeah." Martha marvelled.

"London never changes." The Doctor said dryly.

"Where's Shakespeare? I wanna see Shakespeare. Author! Author!" Martha chanted, throwing her fist in the air. The Doctor stared at her, once again bemused. "Do people shout that? Do they shout Author?" She asked. A man nearby picked up Martha's chant and began fiercely chanting it too. Soon, the whole crowd was chanting 'Author' over and over again.

"Well, they do now." The Doctor smirked over the ear splitting noise.

Shakespeare soon came out and blew kisses at the swooning women and took a low bow. The audience simply erupted more and chanted.

"He's a bit different from his portraits." Martha noted, a grin on her face as she watched. Martha jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw a panting Marianne staring at her. The Doctor turned around.

"What's wrong?" He asked. She shook her head and held up a finger. The Doctor ignored Shakespeare as he talked to the crowd, intent on knowing what was wrong with Marianne.

"Witch. Woman. Here. She followed me, killed a man. She's here!" She exclaimed, getting her breath back with each word.

"A witch?!" Martha exclaimed. "Here?" Marianne nodded, and began looking around for her.

"She followed me here." She said, straining to find her.

"You have excellent taste! I'll give you that." Shakespeare shouted to the roaring crowd. The Doctor put a hand on Marianne's arm to try and calm her down.

"Was she really a witch?" He asked. Marianne nodded.

"I know what you're all saying. 'Loves Labour's Lost', that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops! Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius." Shakespeare laughed, brushing away the cheers with a hand. He suddenly jolted, and Marianne watched with wide eyes. "When? Tomorrow night." Shakespeare said. Marianne frowned. That never happened.

The audience cheered even louder, if that's believable.

"The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it, Loves Labour's Won!" Shakespeare exclaimed. Martha clapped along with everyone, while Marianne and the Doctor remained quiet, his hand still on her arm.

They left the theatre with the rest of the crowd.

"I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of Loves Labour's Won." Martha told them, and Marianne nodded.

"The lost play." She said quietly, still shaken by seeing the three ugly witches.

"It doesn't exist- Only in rumours. It's mentioned in lists of his plays but never ever turns up."

"It's unknown why." Marianne concluded. Martha smiled again, finishing each others sentences as always.

"Have you got a mini disk or something? We could tape it. We can flog it. Sell it when we get home and make a fortune." Martha grinned.

"No." The Doctor said sternly, causing Marianne to glare at him.

"That would be bad?" Martha asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah." The Doctor told her with a hard edge to his voice. He frowned when he heard Marianne's 'tsk.'

"Well how come it disappeared in the first place?" Martha asked, curious to know.

"Well, I was just gonna give you a quick little trip in the TARDIS, but I suppose we could stay a bit longer." The Doctor smiled down at Martha, who nodded and grinned back up at him. Marianne rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest as they continued walking through the streets.

"Hello!" Shakespeare jumped when he heard a fairly educated sounding woman's voice shouting into the room he was sitting at. The door opened to reveal three people.. A tall, slight and pale woman, with long blonde wavy hair and a blunt fringe, her friend with dark hair and a leather jacket on, and a tall, painfully skinny man with tufty hair and a suit.

"Excuse me! We're not interrupting, are we? Mr Shakespeare, isn't it?" The tall man asked, grinning like an idiot.

Shakespeare groaned. "Oh, no no no no. Who let you in? No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me. And please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove-" Shakespeare began, before noticing Martha properly and smirking. "Hey, nonny nonny. Sit right down here next to me." He smirked, and Martha shifted under his intrusive stare. The Doctor smirked, especially at Marianne who probably wanted Shakespeare to flirt with her more than anything. When she looked up at him, he couldn't keep his laugh in. She shook her head.

"You two get sewing on them costumes. Off you go." Shakespeare told his servants. They smiled and nodded and walked out. "Come on, lads. I think our William's found his new muse."

"Sweet lady. Such unusual clothes. So.. fitted. Both of you." Shakespeare noted as Martha sat down, and he also smiled at Marianne.

"Um, verily, forsooth, egads." Martha stuttered. Marianne smirked and had to turn her face away, while the Doctor winced. This always happened.

"No. Don't do that. Don't." The Doctor begged, and he held out his psychic paper to William. "I'm sir Doctor of TARDIS, and these are my companions, Miss Marianne Bradley and Miss Martha Jones."

"Interesting. That bit of paper. It's blank." Shakespeare said wryly, and Marianne grinned.

"Such a great mind." She complimented at him. He looked up at her and blinked.

"Oh that's... Very clever. That proves it. Absolute genius." The Doctor added, pocketing the paper and feeling let down by his own mind.

"It's psychic paper. It tells someone what you're thinking... See." Marianne said, taking it from his pocket and handing it to Martha. It read- 'I'm Marianne Bradley.. The Doctor's an imbecile for thinking this would work on Shakespeare.'

Martha grinned and put it back in his pocket.

"Psychic. Never head that before and words are my trade. Who are you all exactly? More's the point.. Who is your delicious blackamoor lady?" Shakespeare asked, leaning forwards and looking Martha in the eye. She blushed.

"What did you say?" She asked, slightly shocked at his words.

"Oops. Isn't that a word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Africa..." He said, struggling for words which was unusual.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this." Martha exclaimed, shaking her head.

"It's political correctness gone mad." Marianne muttered, letting her head fall into her hands.

"Um, Martha's from a far-off land. Freedonia." The Doctor lied. Martha turned to him, smirking but with disbelief written on her face.

"Excuse me!" A man burst into the room, red faced with anger. "Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mr Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed." He exclaimed, shaking.

"Tomorrow morning. First thing. I'll send it round." Shakespeare promised, sounding calm despite the man's obvious anger.

"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!" The man demanded.

"I can't." Shakespeare shouted back, losing his cool.

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled." He spat back. Marianne rolled her eyes."I'm returning to my office for a banning order, if it's the last thing I do, Loves Labour's Won will never be played." He exclaimed, and left after slamming the door shut loudly.

"Well then, I guess that solves the mystery." Marianne said, sighing. Of course, that didn't mean those witch women weren't still at large.

A piercing scream broke through what else may have been said, and they all sprinted from the room and the inn to see what was going on.

They rushed out onto the street to see the man who cancelled the play, Lynley, spitting up water as if he were drowning.

"It's that Lynley bloke." Martha noted.

"What's wrong with him?" Marianne asked. "Move out the way, he's a doctor!" Marianne exclaimed, pushing the Doctor through the crowd. "Actually.. We're more of a doctor than he is." Marianne noted, and took hold of Martha's hand to follow.

When they reached him, Lynley had fallen to the ground.

Martha bent down and began working on starting his heart. Marianne opened his mouth to find water streaming out of it. She cleared it and began breathing into it.

"Gotta get the heart going. Mr Lynley, c'mon, can you hear me? You're gonna be all right." Martha promised. Marianne began mouth-to-mouth again as soon as Martha stopped pumping the heart. More water gushed from his mouth when she stopped, just as the Doctor got back from looking for the murderer.

"What the hell is happening?" Martha asked, looking appalled at the sheer impossible amount of water pouring from his mouth.

"I've never seen a death like it. His lungs are full of water. He drowned... I don't know, it's like he was struck in the heart. But nobody did it. It was invisible." Marianne said, looking utterly confused.

The Doctor turned to the inn keeper. "Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away." The Doctor asked her.

"Yes, sir." The woman replied, and she rushed off.

"And why are you telling them that?" Martha demanded.

"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages. If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it's witchcraft..." The Doctor began, before his head snapped up to meet Marianne's. "Witchcraft." He breathed.

The inn keeper walked back over to the trio. "I've got you a room, Sir Doctor. You, Miss Bradley and Miss Jones are just across the landing." She told them, leading them upstairs. She then smiled and left them to it. They walked into Shakespeare's room again.

"Poor Lynley. So many strange events. Not least of all, this land of Freedonia where women can be doctors?" Shakespeare asked.

"Where women can do what they like!" Martha exclaimed indignantly. Marianne smiled and closed her eyes, leaning against the wall.

"And both of you.. The other woman doctor and the Doctor. How can two people be so young but have eyes so old?" He asked. Marianne smiled more.

"We do a lot of reading." She replied dryly. The Doctor smiled and looked down.

"A trite reply. Yeah, that's what I'd do." He replied, before turning his attention once more to Martha. "And you, you look at them both like you're surprised they exist. They're as much of a puzzle to you as they are to me. And yet you know one very well. Miss Marianne, I believe, is a close friend."

"Yeah, she is. How can you tell?" Martha asked, shocked. He's like Sherlock Holmes, she thought.

"You look at her like you know her is all. And then you look at him as if he's a stranger to you, so I simply pieced it together." Shakespeare shrugged.

"I think we should say goodnight." Martha sighed, before standing up and leaving.

"I must work. I have a play to complete. But I'll get my answers tomorrow, Doctor. And from you too, Miss Marianne. I'll discover more about you and why this constant performance of yours." He said.

"All the world's a stage." The Doctor said quietly, as they both walked to the doorway.

"Hm, I might use that. Good night, Miss Marianne, Doctor." Shakespeare said.

"Nighty night Shakespeare." The Doctor smiled, and they both left.

When they walked into the room across the landing, they were surprised to see Martha examining it.

"It's not exactly five star, is it?" She asked.

"Oh, it'll do. I've seen worse." The Doctor grinned, and Marianne grimaced. So had she.

"I haven't even got a toothbrush." Martha complained. The Doctor patted his pockets before pulling a few toothbrushes out, throwing one to Martha and the other to Marianne.

"Venusian spearmint?" She asked, and he smiled and nodded. Martha looked back at the bed and grimaced.

"So, who's going where? I mean, there's only one bed and three of us." She said.

"We'll manage. Come on." He said, before collapsing into the bed. Marianne and Martha simply stood watching him.

"So, magic and stuff. That's a surprise. It's a little bit 'Harry Potter' ." Martha noted.

"Wait till you read book seven. Oh, I cried." The Doctor said, and Marianne nodded. She remembered those tears.

"But is it real though? I mean, witches, black magic and all that. It's real?

"Course it isn't!" Marianne exclaimed.

"Well, how am I supposed to know? I've only just started believing in time travel. Gimme a break." She complained.

"Looks like witchcraft, but it isn't. Can't be. Are you two gonna stand there all night?"

Martha sat down on the bed, while Marianne shook her head and sat on the floor. The hard wood floor. The Doctor sat up in the bed and stared at her.

"Marianne. Don't do this." He begged. She shook her head and moved further back. "Please. Lie there all night and you won't get any sleep."

"I don't need to sleep, and I'm certainly not sleeping in that bed with you." She snapped. The Doctor had enough. He got out the bed and led next to her on the floor.

"Fine. Happy? You go sleep in there with Martha." He countered, daring her to say no.

"No." She told him. Oh, she went there. "I'm not moving."

"Neither am I." He promised. Martha sighed.

"At least I get the bed to myself." She complained.

"No you're not." The Doctor said, giving in and standing up. "If she wants to really do this, she can do this. You and me Martha.. All the way." He said, putting his fist in the air. Marianne rolled her eyes.

He jumped onto the bed once more. "Budge up a bit." Martha asked. He did so.

"There's such thing as psychic energy but a human couldn't channel it like that. Not without a generator the size of Taunton, and I think we'd have spotted that."

"Well, they certainly looked like witches." Marianne said, from the floor.

"And what would that be then?" The Doctor asked, his voice still harsh. No reply. It's as if she spoke by accident. He rolled his eyes and turned on his side, looking up at Martha.

"No. There's something I'm missing, Martha." He said. She led down too, and they were incredibly close, even though they didn't have to bed. The bed could have fit four.

"Something really close. Staring me right in the face and I can't see it. Rose would know. A friend of mine.. Rose. Right now, she'd say exactly the right thing. Still, can't be helped. You're a novice, never mind. I'll take you back home tomorrow. Both of you." He said, saying the last part a little louder.

"Great!" Martha exclaimed sarcastically, more than a little peeved.

She turned to her side and blew out the candle.

It was around 4am when the Doctor felt a tug on his arm. He awoke to see Marianne stood with her candle in her hand, her hair messed up and the waves falling into her blue eyes.

"Budge up." She asked. He moved up a little and she squeezed in next to him. The closeness made his hearts beat incredibly faster. When she had led down, she blew the candle out.

"Marianne, you're freezing." He whispered, grabbing her hands to warm them up. He felt her feet curl towards the warmth of his legs.

"I know. No heating and all that." She whispered back. He brought her in to his chest, and rested his chin upon her head, trying to warm her up. His arms were wound around her waist, and her face was tucked into his chest.

"This doesn't change anything." She whispered, promising him that she was just cold.

"I know." He smirked, kissing her forehead. He'd forgotten how small she was. In every regeneration she was small. He'd always found it endearing. "I think we need to talk things through." He told her.

"I know. But not now. Tomorrow. Before you take me home." She told him. She felt him sigh.

"I'm not taking you home, if you don't want to go. Martha, maybe. But you.. I'd never let you go again if it were up to me." He said, embarrassed at his words.

He got no reply.

She just fell back asleep. 


	5. Chapter 5

By the time the Doctor and Martha had woken up in the morning, Marianne had already been to the TARDIS and got changed, something the Doctor would probably never think of doing. Instead of her mid thigh length dress and heels she'd worn for Leo's birthday party, she was now wearing a mint green tea dress with flowers, black tights and vans. Her wavy blonde hair was falling down her back.

She walked back into their small, dusty bedroom and banged about a little so the sleeping duo would wake up. The Doctor shut up and immediately looked to the right, where Marianne had been sleeping only an hour ago. He could still smell her hair. He had doe eyes in the morning, he always had, and as he looked at Marianne; she had to look down to avoid forgiving him completely.

"Morning." He said groggily, before rudely nudging Martha awake and crawling out of bed. They both ignored Martha as she groaned and slowly woke up.

"C'mon Martha. We have a witch to catch." The Doctor complained. Right on cue, they heard a high pitched woman's scream. The Doctor and Marianne were the first out the door, followed by a still groggy Martha.

The noise had come from Shakespeare's room. As they barged in, Shakespeare awoke with a start.

"Wha...? What was that?" He demanded, sitting upright immediately. Marianne rushed to a woman's body, and bent down to examine it. Martha, however, had bolted to the window to try and catch whoever had done it.

"Her heart just.. Stopped." Marianne said, feeling for vitals. "She died of fright." She finished, biting her lip.

"Doctor?" Martha asked, sounding terrified as she looked out the window.

"What did you see?" The Doctor asked, joining her at the window and looking out.

"A witch." Martha gulped.

"Told you so." Marianne muttered, only the Doctor heard. Only he knew why he was smirking.

The trio and Shakespeare were sat at his wooden desk, listening to Shakespeare ramble on.

"Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey. She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place. We all ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit."

"'Rage, rage against the dying of the light.'" The Doctor quoted, staring at the candle with a furious look on his face.

"I might use that." Shakespeare stated, looking interestedly at the Doctor.

"You can't. It's someone else's." Marianne said, sounding distracted as she paced through the room. "You know what, those witches, when they killed that boy.. They said they wanted the world. Why would witches want the world? And the Earth? And humans?" She asked. The Doctor looked up at her.

"I don't know." He said quietly.

"But the thing is, Lynley drowned on dry land, Dolly died of fright and they were both connected to you." Martha commented, pointing at Shakespeare. Marianne smiled proudly at her friend.

"You're accusing me?" Shakespeare asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

"No, but Marianne and I have both seen witches. You've written about witches." She replied, coming to some sort of odd conclusion in her mind.

"I have? When was that?" Shakespeare demanded, looking even more surprised at this false revelation.

"Not, not quite yet." The Doctor muttered in a low voice. Martha winced.

"Peter Streete spoke of witches." Shakespeare told them, looking up as he thought things through in his mind.

"Who's Peter Streete?" Martha enquired.

"Our builder. He sketched the plans to the Globe."

"The architect. Hold on. Doctor.. The architect! The Globe!" Marianne exclaimed, looking at the Doctor with wide eyes.

"Come on!" The Doctor exclaimed, knowing what she was thinking and he immediately sprinted away. Marianne followed. Shakespeare and Martha shared a look, before nodding and running after them both.

Once they were at the renowned Globe Theatre, the Home of Shakespeare, The Doctor and Marianne began thinking even more. She and the Doctor were stood in the pit while Martha and Shakespeare sat onstage, dangling their legs off the edge.

"The columns, there, right? 14 sides. I've always wondered but I never asked... Tell me, Will. Why 14 sides?" The Doctor called, staring up at the playwright.

"It was the shape Peter Streete thought best, that's all. Said it carried the sound well." Shakespeare shrugged, not quite knowing where his train of thought was going.

"Why does that ring a bell? 14 sides..." The Doctor began, running hands through his hair and turning around and around frantically.

"Um.. 14 lines in a sonnet..." Marianne said, thinking aloud too.

"So there is. Brilliant point. Okay.. Words and shapes are following the same design. 14 lines, 14 sides, 14 facets.. Oh my head!" The Doctor moaned, pacing alongside Marianne. "Tetradecagon... think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines!"

"This is just a theatre." Shakespeare noted, looking at the Time Lord's as if they were mad.

"But a theatre's magic, isn't it? Stand on this stage, say the right words with the right emphasis at the right time with the right people... You can make grown men weep, or cry with joy, or fall in love. You change them. You can change people's minds with words in this place." Marianne said, staring at the floor dreamily, unknowingly making the Doctor stare at her with admiration clear in his eyes. She snapped her head up and smiled at the three people staring at her.

"It's like your police box. Small wooden box with all that power inside." Martha agreed, gesticulating wildly.

"Oh. Oh, Marianne Bradley, Martha Jones.. I like you both. Tell you what, though. Peter Streete would know. I want to talk to him." The Doctor said, smiling fondly at his two companions before snapping his head towards Shakespeare.

"You won't get an answer. A month after finishing this place.. Lost his mind." Shakespeare shrugged, looking downcast. "He started raving about witches, hearing voices, babbling. His mind was addled."

"Where is he now?" Martha asked, her eyes wide as she contemplated that man.

"Bedlam." Shakespeare said grimly.

"What's Bedlam?"

"Bethlem Hospital. The madhouse." Shakespeare muttered quietly.

"We're gonna go there. Right now. Come on." The Doctor instructed, leading the way out. Marianne waited for Martha before following.

"Wait! I'm coming with you! I want to witness this at first hand!" Shakespeare called, jumping from the stage and jogging to catch up with the two ladies. "So, tell me of Freedonia, where women can be doctors, writers, actors." Shakespeare asked when they caught up with the Doctor outside.

"This country's ruled by a woman." Matha told him.

"Ah, she's royal. That's God's business. Though you are royal beauty. Both of you." Shakespeare complimented, unknowingly causing the Doctor to grit his teeth and roll his eyes.

"Whoa, Nelly! I know for a fact you've got a wife in the country." Martha exclaimed, stopping in the street.

"But Martha, this is Town." Shakespeare said, not quite understanding her horror. Marianne rolled her eyes and pulled at Martha's arm to keep walking.

"Come on." She said.

"We can all have a good flirt later." The Doctor added, wanting to pull Marianne away from Shakespeare.

"Is that a promise, Doctor?" Shakespeare grinned.

"Oh, 57 academics have just punched the air. Now move!"

The Doctor, Martha, Marianne and Shakespeare all walked through the dim, candle light stone corridors, which dripped with water and were full of resonating screams and moans coming from all directions. A Jailer led them through the halls, and to Marianne's horror, he had no teeth and a lack of personal hygiene...

"Does my lord, Doctor, wish some entertainment while he waits? I'd whip these madmen. They'll put on a good show for ya'. Bandog and Bedlam!" The Jailer exclaimed in a thick cockney accent, grinning and baring a fleshy grin. Marianne winced away from him.

"No, I don't!" The Doctor exclaimed, looking disgusted himself.

"Wait here, my lords, while I make him decent for the ladies here." The Jailer said, and as he walked past Marianne, he felt her behind. She yelped and moved faster than lightning to the Doctor's side. Luckily for her, he had seen.

"Excuse me! What do you think you're doing? You'll show respect to the lady, she is not yours to touch you filthy urchin!" Shakespeare roared, coming to her aid instead of the Doctor. Once again he ground his teeth together and closed his eyes. That was not Shakespeare's job, it was his. Her Bond.

"I do beg your pardon." The filthy Jailer letched, and he rolled his eyes and walked away. Marianne turned her nose up in disgust.

"So this is what you call a hospital, yeah? Where the patients are whipped to entertain the gentry and women are felt up by dirty old men like him? And you put your friend in here?" Martha demanded, her hands on her hips as she looked at Shakespeare.

"Oh, and it's all so different in Freedonia." Shakespeare sneered, looking away.

"But you're clever! Do you honestly think this place is any good?" Martha demanded in a slightly less harsh tone, begging for Shakespeare to understand.

"I've been mad. I've lost my mind. Fear of this place set me right again. It serves its purpose." Shakespeare said quietly.

"Mad in what way?" Martha asked.

"You lost your son." The Doctor said softly. Shakespeare gravely nodded his head, refusing to look up from the stone ground.

"My only boy. The Black Death took him. I wasn't even there." Shakespeare moaned, tears forming in his eyes. Marianne put a comforting hand on his arm.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry." Martha apologised sincerely.

"It made me question everything. The futility of this fleeting existence. To be or not to be... oh, that's quite good." Shakespeare said, brightening up at the power of his words.

"You should write that down." Marianne suggested.

"Hm, maybe not? A bit pretentious?"

"This way, m'lord!" The sleazy Jailer called, and they walked down the corridor to Peter Streete's cell.

Once there, the Jailer unlocked the cell and let them all in. "They can be dangerous, m'lord. Don't know their own strength."

"I think it helps if you don't whip them you insolent man!" Marianne shouted, turning on him. He visibly backed away. "Now get out!"

The Doctor smiled at her before bending down to look at Peter Streete, who was led down on the ground, facing away from them.

"Peter? Peter Streete?" He asked gently, tapping his shoulder. Shakespeare looked on at his friend sadly.

"He's the same as he was. You'll get nothing out of him."

"Peter?" Marianne asked quietly, bending down and laying a hand on his shoulder. His head jerked up and he looked at her with glassy eyes. He looked as if he wanted to speak. "Peter, I'm Marianne, this is the Doctor."

"Go into the past, one year back. Let your mind go back, back to when everything was fine and shining. Everything that happened in this year since happened to someone else. It was just a story. A winter's tale. Let go. Listen. That's it. Just let go." The Doctor muttered, supporting him as he drifted away. He led him back down. He was in some sort of trance. "Tell me the story, Peter. Tell me about the witches."

"Witches spoke to Peter. In the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. Their design! The 14 walls- always 14. When the work was done, the sapped poor Peter's wits." Peter laughed, sounding detached.

"Where did Peter see the witches? Where in the city? Peter, tell me. You've got to tell me where they were?" The Doctor pleaded.

"All Hallows Street." Peter replied.

"Too many words." A high pitched and coarse voice called from behind them. They turned around to find the most ugly and wizened witch. Marianne sprung up and went to Martha's side, shadowed by the Doctor, with his arms out slightly, protecting Marianne.

"What the hell?" Martha asked.

"Just one touch of the heart." The witch cackled, laying her hand on Peter's chest.

"No!" Marianne called, but the witch didn't listen. Peter screamed as his life was taken from him.

"Witch! I'm seeing a witch!" Shakespeare shouted, backing away.

"Who would be next, hm? Just one touch." The witch grinned, revealing blackened teeth. "Oh, oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals."

"Let us out! Let us out!" Martha screamed, shouting at the door for the Jailer to come back.

"That's not gonna work. The whole building's shouting that." The Doctor told her calmly.

"Who will die first, hm?" The witch asked, her eyes looking at Marianne slightly longer than the others.

"Well, if you're looking for volunteers." The Doctor said bravely, walking towards the witch.

"No! Don't!" Martha called. Marianne bit her lip and watched him.

"Doctor, can you stop her?" Shakespeare asked, sounding as distressed as Martha.

"Oh, but there's a power in words. If I can find the right word- if I can just know you..." The Doctor thought aloud. Marianne racked her brains too.

"None on Earth has knowledge of us." The witch replied, grinning manically.

"Then it's a good thing Marianne and I are here. Now think... Humanoid female, uses shapes and words to channel energy.." The Doctor thought.

"14! There are 14 stars of the Rexel Planetary configuration!" Marianne shouted, jumping as she figured it out!" The Doctor smiled at her.

"Creature, I name you Carrionite!" The Doctor shouted. The witch was no longer smiling, instead she was wailing and disappearing.

"What did you do?" Martha gasped.

"I named her. The power of a name. That's old magic." The Doctor winked at Marianne, who actually faintly smiled back, proud of them both.

"But there's no such thing as magic." Martha insisted.

"Well, it's just a different type of science. You lot, you chose mathematics. Given the right string of numbers, the right equation, you can split the atom. Carrionites use words instead." The Doctor explained.

"Use them for what?" Shakespeare asked, pretending to know what 'atom' meant.

"The end of the world." Marianne told him, thinking back to what she overhead at the witches house.

Back in Shakespeare's bedroom at the hotel, the Doctor was pacing while the other three people sat watching him.

"The Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure if they were real or legend." He rambled, and when he paused for breath, Shakespeare butted in.

"Well, I'm going for real."

"But what do they want?" Martha asked. The Doctor gestured towards Marianne.. She'd heard them say it out loud.

"A new empire on Earth. A world of sacrifice and bones and blood and witchcraft." She said quietly, shuddering at the thought of a totally degraded world.

"But how?" Martha asked, also wincing at the thought and wondering why anyone would do that.

"I'm looking at the man with the words." The Doctor said.

"Me? But I've done nothing." Shakespeare insisted, sitting up a tad straighter.

"Hold on, though. What were you doing last night, when that Carrionite was in the room?" Martha asked, turning to him. This had been playing on her mind for a while.

"Finishing the play." Shakespeare replied, shrugging. Marianne's eyes narrowed.

"What happens on the last page?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"The boys get the girls. They have a bit of a dance. It's all funny and thought provoking as usual.. Except those last few lines. Funny thing is.. I don't actually remember writing them." He admitted.

"That's it. They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, a code. 'Love's Labours Won' - It's a weapon! The right combination of words, spoken at the right place with the shape of the Globe - like Marianne said - as an energy converter! The play's the thing! And yes, you can have that." The Doctor told him, when he saw Shakespeare's mouth open to talk.

Marianne went to a book shelf in Shakespeare's room and searched for a map. She found one and pulled it from the shelf. She dusted it down and set it out on the table.

"All Hallows Street. There it is." She said, pointing to the little line on the map.

"Right, Martha, Marianne. We'll track them down. Will, you get to the globe. Whatever you do, stop that play!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"I'll do it." Shakespeare nodded, shaking the Doctor's hand. "All these years and I've been the cleverest man around. Next to you.. And Marianne.. I'm nothing." He insisted, looking intently at Marianne as he said her name.

"Oh, don't complain." Martha said, narrowing her eyes. It didn't make Shakespeare any less of a genius, she thought.

"I'm not. It's marvellous. Good luck, Doctor." Shakespeare told him.

"Good luck, Shakespeare." The Doctor grinned, walking to the door.

"Once more unto the breach!" Marianne called as they left Shakespeare.

"I like that. Wait a minute... That's one of mine!" Shakespeare shouted after them, smiling when he heard Marianne laugh.

"Yeah, I think I went down here when I ran from them." Marianne nodded, leading them down a street and onto All Hallows Street. "Aha!"

"Yep.. All Hallows Street, but which house?" The Doctor asked. Marianne began walking to the witches house, only to be stopped by Martha's hand grabbing her arm. She turned around.

"The thing is, though... am I missing something here? The world didn't end in 1599. It just didn't. Look at me- I'm living proof." She said, tugging on her clothing.

"Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux? I know! Back to the Future! It's like Back to the Future!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"The film?" Martha asked, squinting at him as if he were mad.

"No, the novelisation. Yes, the film. Marty McFly goes back and changes history." The Doctor said rushedly.

"And he starts fading away." Martha said, nodding in agreement before realising. "Oh, my God. Am I gonna fade?"

"You, us, the entire future of the human race." Marianne said lightly, nodding and looking at her nails.

"It ends right now in 1599 if we don't stop it. Marianne, lead the way." He instructed, and he put his hand on the small of her back, only to have her squirm out of his touch and glare at him.

She led the way into the witches house, where Lilith, the younger witch, was waiting for them.

"I take it we're expected." The Doctor said dryly, putting his hands into his pocket.

"Oh, I think Death has been waiting for you for a very long time." Lilith grinned.

"Right then, it's my turn. I know how to do this." Martha said, stepping forward and pointing at Lilith. "I name thee, Carrionite!"

Lilith didn't even move.

"What did I do wrong? Was it the finger?" Martha asked Marianne, who shook her head and pulled her back.

"The power of a name works only once. Observe." She said, pointing at Martha. "I gaze upon this bag of bones and now I name thee Martha Jones."

Martha collapsed into Marianne's waiting arms, and she lowered her to the ground.

"What have you done?" The Doctor demanded, striding forwards angrily.

"Only sleeping, alas. Curious, the name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time. And as for you, Miss Marianne!" She exclaimed, pointing a finger at Marianne, who simply blinked at her. "Fascinating. Why would a woman hide her title in such despair? Marianne is somehow not your true name." She noted. "So what about you... Sir Doctor!" She screeched, doing the same to the Doctor who didn't even flinch. Her hard gaze suddenly softened into an angry grin. "Oh, but look. There's still one word with the power that aches." She noted.

"The naming won't work on us." Marianne told her quietly.

"But your heart grows cold, sir Doctor. Not only has your true love left you when you took the chance and ran, but you're stuck to see the glares upon the face of Marianne." She grinned.

Marianne grimaced, and her head flicked to see his reaction. "Oh, big mistake. Cos that name keeps me fighting!" He exclaimed. Lilith glared at the couple. "The Carrionites vanished! Where did you go?" He demanded.

"The Eternals found the right word to banish us into deep darkness."

"And how did you escape?" Marianne asked, somehow moved by what Lilith had told the Doctor.

"New words. New and glittering from a mind like no other." Lilith grinned.

"Shakespeare." Marianne and the Doctor said together. Lilith nodded.

"His son had perished. The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance."

"How many of you?" The Doctor asked.

"Just the three. Butt the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged as pestilence. And from this world we will lead the universe back to the old ways of blood and magic." Lilith sighed in a dreamlike state.

"Hmm. Busy schedule. But first.. You've gotta get past me." The Doctor warned dangerously, a glint in his eye. He strode forwards and stood eye-to-eye with Lilith.

"Oh, that should be a pleasure considering my enemy has such a handsome shape." Lilith said seductively.

"Hey!" Marianne exclaimed, launching herself over to the witch. Lilith ignored her and ran fingers along his face.

"Now, that's one form of magic that's definitely not gonna work on me." The Doctor assured her, his eyes flickering to Marianne's as she watched the witch intently.

"Oh, we'll see." Lilith grinned, yanking a lock of hair from his head and backing away.

"What did you do?" The Doctor demanded, feeling his hair.

"Souvenir."

"Well, give it him back!" Marianne exploded, not really knowing what she was saying was pathetic.

Lilith sneered at the girl before throwing her arms up and opening the window. She flew out backwards, levitating before them.

"Well, that's just cheating." The Doctor breathed as they stood at the window.

"Behold, Doctor. Marianne. Men to Carrionites are nothing but puppets." Lilith grinned.

She pulled ou a doll and wrapped his hair around it.

"Now, you might call that magic. I'd call that a DNA replication module." Marianne sneered.

"What use is your science now?" Lilith spat. She stabbed the doll, despite Marianne's high pitched shriek as the Doctor let out a cry and lurched to the ground. Lilith cackled and flew away while Marianne immediately bent down and wrapped an arm around his head.

"Oh, my God. Doctor. Don't worry." She told him. The Doctor smiled through his pain up at her. Finally, her sensitive side. She held his head and cooed sweet nothings to him as Martha got to work on his hearts.

She rolled him onto his back and checked for heartbeats. "Hold on, mister. Two hearts?"

"You're making a habit of this." The Doctor groaned, standing and nearly falling, only for Marianne to support him. "I've only got one heart working. How do you people cope? I've got to get the other one started. Hit me! Hit me on the chest!" He demanded through gritted teeth. Martha, looking bewildered, punched his chest. "Other side!" He winced. She hit the other side of his chest. "Left a bit.. Ah lovely." He stood up straight with a tip of his imaginary hat to Marianne, before pacing around. "There we go! Ba-da-boom! Well, what are you standing there for? The Globe!" The Doctor exclaimed, as if nothing happened.

The trio ran down a street, trying to get to the Globe as fast as they could.

"We're going the wrong way!" Martha insisted, as they ran down various random streets.

"No, we're not!" The Doctor replied, running down a different street. "We're going the wrong way!" He agreed, before turning and running in the opposite direction. As they neared the theatre, the trio heard screaming and saw a red glow coming from the Globe.

"Stage door!" Marianne exclaimed, and they ran to get there. They burst in backstage to see Shakespeare nursing his head.

"Stop the play! I think that was it. Yeah, I said, 'Stop the play!'" The Doctor shouted through gritted teeth.

"I hit my head." Will spat.

"Ah, Will." Marianne winced.

"Yeah, don't rub it, you'll go bald." The Doctor advised. A scream from out front reminded them of other business. "I think that's my cue!"

They ran out onto the stage.

"Now begins the millennium of blood!" The thousands of Carrionites screamed as they whizzed around.

"Come on, Will! History needs you!" Marianne told him as she grabbed his arm and pushed him forwards.

"But what can I do?" He demanded.

"Reverse it!" The Doctor told him.

"How am I supposed to do that?!"

"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius. The only man clever enough to do it!" The Doctor encouraged, willing him to do it.

"But what words? I have none ready!"

"You're William Shakespeare!" Marianne shouted above the terrible noise. "Trust yourself. When you're locked away in a room, the words just come, don't they? Like magic."

"Words of the right sound, shape, the right rhythm- words that last forever! That's what you do, Will! You choose perfect words. Do it. Improvise!" The Doctor finished. Shakespeare nodded and stepped forwards.

"Close up this den of hateful, dire decay! Decomposition of your witches plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My doting Doctor tells me I am not! Foul Carrionite spectres, cease your show! Between the points..." Shakespeare said, looking at the Doctor.

"7-6-1-3-9-0." He hissed.

"7-6-1-3-9-0! And banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee..." Shakespeare finished, but struggled on finding the real last word.

"Expelliarmus!" Martha shouted.

"Expellliarmus!" The Doctor and Marianne shouted after, smiling.

"Expelliarmus!" Shakespeare shoute3d.

"Good old JK!" The Doctor grinned, looking as the Carrionites screamed. They were all sucked back into the ominous cloud hovering over the Globe in a tornado like fashion, as do all copies of the play.

"There she goes." Marianne said quietly.

When the final one left, the now happy and content crowd began their round of applause. It was louder than ever before.

"They think it was all special effects." Martha grinned.

"Your effect is special indeed." Shakespeare told her.

"Not your best line, Shakey." Marianne told him, patting his shoulder. Nobody had noticed that while they took their actor's bows, the Doctor had slipped away.

Hello!

Sorry I couldn't finish the episode, but you'll see why in the next chapter!

-Fay x 


	6. Chapter 6

Next morning at the Globe, Shakespeare, Marianne and Martha were sat on the stage, with their legs dangling off.

"And I say, a heart for a hart and a dear for a deer." Shakespeare wisely said.

"I don't get it." Martha stated.

"Then give me a joke from Freedonia." Shakespeare instructed. Marianne whistled through her teeth.

"OK, Shakespeare walks into a pub, and the landlord says 'oi mate, you're bard.'" Martha laughed, as did Marianne.

"It's brilliant! Doesn't make sense, mind you, but never mind that." Shakespeare grinned, wrapping his arms around both girls waists.

"Haha, okaaay. Enough of that." Marianne drawled, jumping from the stage and looking up at the man.

"I've only just met you." Martha snapped, as he leaned in to kiss her. Marianne had to control her laughter.

"The Doctor might never kiss you. Have you seen the way he looks at dear Marianne? Why not entertain a man who will?" Shakespeare asked sincerely.

"I don't know how to tell you this, oh great genius, but your breath doesn't half stink." Martha admitted, wincing as Marianne burst out laughing. The Doctor emerged from backstage carrying a ruff collar and an animal skull.

"Good prop store back there! I'm not sure about this though." The Doctor said, holding up the skull. "Reminds me of a Sycorax." Marianne laughed quietly.

"Sycorax. Nice word. I'll have that off you as well." Shakespeare told the Doctor.

"I should be on 10%. How's your head?"

"Still aching."

"Here. I got you this." The Doctor put the ruff over Shakespeare's head and tugged it down to his neck. "Neck brace. Wear that for a few days till it's better, although you might wanna keep it." The Doctor smirked.

"It suits you." Marianne agreed.

"What about the play?" Martha asked.

"Gone. I looked all over- every single copy of Love's Labours Won went up in the sky."

"My lost masterpiece." Shakespeare said sadly.

"You could write it up again." Martha suggested/

"Yeah, better not, Will. There's still power in those words. It's best it stay lost." Marianne said gently.

"Oh, but I've got new ideas. Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons. In memory of my boy- my precious Hamnet." Shakespeare said, somewhat fondly.

"Hamnet?" Martha asked.

"That's him."

"Ham-NET?" Martha asked, her head going down in concentration as she asked again.

"What's wrong with that?" Shakespeare asked, looking confused at the girls reaction.

"Anyway, time we were off. I've got a nice attic in the TARDIS where this lot can scream for all eternity." The Doctor said, shaking the crystal ball which held the angry Carrionites. "And I've gotta take Martha and Marianne back to Freedonia."

"You mean travel through time and space." Shakespeare stated. Marianne's eyes bugged.

"You what?" She asked.

"You're from another world like the Carrionites, and Martha is from the future. It's not hard to work out." Shakespeare laughed.

"That's... incredible. You are incredible." The Doctor told him.

"We're alike in many ways, Doctor. And Marianne, too. Martha, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my dark lady. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate-"

"Will! Will! You'll never believe it! She's here! She turned up!" A man called, rushing into the Globe.

"We're the talk of the town. She heard about last night! She wants us to perform it again!" Another called, eyes twinkling in excitement.

"Who?" Martha asked.

"Her Majesty! She's here!"

A fanfare was heard as Elizabeth I entered, looking royal and prestigious.

"Queen Elizabeth!" The Doctor said, excitedly as he grinned at her.

"Doctor!" The Queen replied.

"What?" The Doctor asked, frowning.

"My sworn enemy!"

"What?"

"Off with his head!" The Queen roared. Marianne's eyes bugged once more.

"What?" She asked.

"Never mind, what', just run! See you, Will! And thanks!" Martha shouted as the trio ran away.

Once safely back in the TARDIS, all eyes turned to the panting Doctor.

"What have you done to upset her?!" Marianne demanded.

"How should I know? Haven't even met her yet. That's time travel, for you! Still, can't wait to find out. That's something to look forward to."

About an hour later, the Doctor was fixing something under the console of the TARDIS, and he couldn't hear either girl. Hence they began talking.

"Marianne, I can't believe you didn't tell me." Martha sighed, looking down at her nails as the girl looked sheepish.

"Martha, I'm sorry. But I couldn't. As if you'd believe me with no proof!" Marianne said, looking sincere.

"And what the hell has gone down with you and the Doctor?" Martha demanded.

"You really want to know?" Marianne asked, and sighed when the girl nodded. "On our home planet, on Gallifrey, there's this phenomenon called Bonding. It's really rare. Barely anyone actually Bonds. But me and the Doctor.. we did. We met when we were at college, and we could hear each others thoughts. You can't do that with any other Time Lord. Really. So to hear his thoughts.. was crazy. That's how we knew we were Bonded. It just means you're perfect for each other, really perfect. You can do what you want with your Bond, but once you've found them, you will never forget about them." Marianne explained.

"So.. Can you still hear each other?" Martha asked, interested. Marianne nodded.

"I can.. But I choose not to. I've put a block on my mind, so he can't hear me and I can't hear him." Marianne told her. Martha narrowed her eyes.

"But why?"

"Because I did something terrible." The Doctor said, walking up from below the console to where Marianne was sitting. She immediately stood up and began pacing. "I left when she needed me the most. I ran. And haven't stopped."

"I don't want to talk about this with him here." Marianne shrugged, walking around to the other side of the TARDIS and leaning on the console. Martha sighed and walked to her friend, putting a hand on her arm.

"Talk to me when you're ready." She said gently, smiling when Marianne nodded. The Doctor sighed and, with his face in his hands, he walked to the console, pulling Martha gently away to where Marianne couldn't hear.

"Just one trip. That's what I said. One trip in the TARDIS, and then home. But I want her to stay, and she won't if you leave. I'm not using you, trust me, I loved having you with me. So you can stay for one more trip, into the future, but you have to talk to her. How do you fancy that?" He asked quietly.

Martha grinned. "No complaints from me." She told him, winking conspiratorially.

"How about a different planet?" He asked, grinning back.

"How abouts yours? Marianne mentioned your home planet." Martha said louder, as they walked back to the console.

"Ah, there's plenty of other places." The Doctor told her.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Marianne asked, feeling left out.

"One more trip. To the future." The Doctor told, refusing to look at her when he did so.

"Come on, though, I mean. Planet of the Time Lords. That's got to be worth a look. What's it like?" Martha asked, not realising the looks of sadness on their faces wasn't because they were reminiscing.

"It's beautiful, yeah." Marianne nodded, as if she were admitting something she didn't want to.

"Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?" Martha asked with wide eyes.

"I suppose it is." The Doctor agreed, wincing as he thought of it.

This would be the perfect time to hear Marianne's thoughts, The Doctor thought, trying again in vain to read her. Nothing. Like an empty book. Like a wall in her mind was stopping him from entering. The silence wasn't nice.

"Great big temples and cathedrals!" Martha grinned.

"Yeah." Marianne smiled, thinking the opposite about reading the Doctor's mind. She wouldn't even try.

"Lots of planets in the sky?" Martha asked.

"The sky's a burnt orange, with the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns." The Doctor smiled fondly.

"Beyond that, the mountains go on forever. Slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow." Marianne finished.

"Can we go there?" Martha asked, glad that they finally said something worth saying.

"Nah. Where's the fun for us? We don't want to go home. Instead, this is much better. The year five billion and fifty three. Planet, New Earth. Second hope of mankind. Fifty thousand light years from your own world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York." The Doctor grinned, hitting a few buttons as Marianne flicked some levers up for him/

"Technically, it's the fifteenth New York from the original." Marianne told her, correcting the Doctor.

"So it's, New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built." The Doctor nodded, grinning as they held onto the console for dear life.

They landed in a narrow alleyway. They walked out of the TARDIS and into the drizzling rain.

"Oh, that's nice. Time Lord version of dazzling." Martha said sarcastically. Marianne rolled her eyes and pulled the hood of her green parka up.

"Bit of rain never hurt anyone. Come on, let's get under cover!" The Doctor shouted, and they ran into a plywood ghetto.

"Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me, on a Wednesday afternoon." Martha sneered.

"Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look." The Doctor shushed her, pulling out the sonic to get a monitor working.

"And the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New Jersey expressway." A news lady said on the screen. It then showed images of high tec flying cars.

"Oh, that's more like it." Marianne grinned.

"That's the view we had last time." the Doctor said.

"Last time?" Marianne asked, turning to him. "You came here before... With another girl?" She demanded. The Doctor seemed to shrink under her gaze. "You came here before with another girl and thought it would be acceptable to bring us here? Typical Doctor." She sneered, turning back to the monitor and listening intently. Martha tutted and touched the Doctor's arm.

"Carry on." She whispered.

"Right. Yes. This must be the lower levels, down in the base of the tower. Some sort of under city." The Doctor said, looking around at the dim alleyway and the typical drabness of the place.

"You've brought us to the slums?" Martha demanded.

"Much more interesting. It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city." The Doctor defended.

"You'd enjoy anything." Martha told him, tutting once more.

"That's me. The rain's stopping. Better and better." He said, and he watched as Marianne walked away, kicking stones with her converse clad feet, getting water on her tights. He sighed and looked down at Martha.

"When you said last time, was that you and Rose?" Martha asked awkwardly. He nodded.

"Er, yeah. Yeah, it was. Yeah." He told her.

"Rebounds!" Marianne called over, peeking out from the hood of her parka. They watched as she turned around in time to see a man open up a shop.

"Oh! You should've said! How long you been there, love? Happy. You want happy." He told her, waving a sticker in her face. Another hatch opened, this time near the Doctor and Martha.

"Customers. Customers! We've got customers!"

"Anger. Buy some anger!"

"Get some Mellow. Makes you feel all bendy and soft all day long."

"Don't go to them. They'll rip you off. You want some happy?" The first seller asked Marianne. She shook her head and walked closer to the Doctor.

"Are they selling drugs?" Martha asked, glancing around intently.

"I think they're selling moods." Marianne corrected.

"Same thing, isn't it?" Martha asked her. More listless people began entering the area, wearing rags and caked in mud.

One woman walked over to the cart nearest Marianne. "I want to buy Forget." She said quietly.

"I've got Forget, my darling, What strength? How much do you want forgetting?" The dealer asked her, looking sympathetically at the drab and dirty girl.

"It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway." The girl cried.

"Oh, that's a swine. Try this. Forget Forty Three. That's two credits." The dealer told her.

"Sorry, but hold on a minute. What happened to your parents?" The Doctor asked, walking over.

"They drove off." The girl replied, handing her money over.

"They might drive back." Marianne smiled.

"Everyone goes to the motorway in the end. I've lost them." The girl cried.

"But they can't have gone far. You could find them. No. No. Don't." The Doctor tried to stop her but the girl slammed the sticker on her neck and immediately brightened up.

"I'm sorry. What were you saying?" She smiled. Marianne frowned.

"Your parents." She told her. "Your mother and father. They're on the motorway."

"Oh, are they? That's nice?" She grinned, walking away from them.

"So that's the human race five billion years into the future. Off their heads on chemicals." Martha sneered. Marianne looked around sympathetically at all the distraught looking people.

She didn't see it like that. She saw desperate young people, with families, friends and loved ones gone missing. She saw people with no other way to escape except to buy these moods and hope for the best. How could you deny them that? If people were disappearing on the motorway, never to be seen again, why shouldn't they be allowed to buy Forget, or Happy, and slip away into another world.

Martha's yelp stopped her in her thoughts, and she looked up to see a young man grabbing Martha and a young woman pointing two guns at Marianne and the Doctor.

"I'm sorry, I'm really really sorry. We just need three, that's all!" The man said, obviously distressed. Marianne watched as the stalls all closed their hatches. Nobody would help.

"No, let her go! I'm warning you, let her go! Whatever you want, we can help. All three of us, we can help. But first you've got to let her go." The Doctor pleaded. Marianne slowly sidled closer and closer to Martha, intent on grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the two people.

"Sorry." The woman apologized sincerely, and the man dragged Martha through a green door and the girl locked it behind them. Marianne and the Doctor immediately rushed forwards to open it.

"Martha!" Marianne called, slamming her hands on the door to try and break it somehow. She then rushed over to a stall and crashed her hands on the hatch until the man selling Happy opened it.

"Those people, who were they? Where did they take her?" She demanded, knowing he'd been watching.

"They've taken her to the motorway. Looked like carjackers to me. I'd give up now, darling. You won't see her again. They all go to the motorway in the end." The man said sincerely.

"He said three, they needed three. What did he mean?" She asked.

"It's the car sharing policy, to save fuel. You get special access if you're carrying three adults." The man explained. Marianne frowned.

"This motorway. How do we get there?" The Doctor asked.

"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end. You can't miss it." The man smiled. "Now, how about some Happy? Then you'll be smiling, my loves."

"Word of advice. Cash up. Close down. Pack your bags." The Doctor snapped. Marianne frowned at him. Clearly he didn't see it like she did.

"Why's that, then?" The man asked, grinning.

"Because as soon as I've found her, alive and well. And I will find her alive and well. Then I'm coming back, and this street is closing tonight!" The Doctor said through gritted teeth, before running off and gesturing for Marianne to follow.

He unlocked a metal door that led to the motorway and stepped out onto the small balcony. Marianne walked out and almost fell over the edge of the balcony, saved only by the Doctor pulling her into his chest. She smiled with thin lips. They both soon began coughing and choking with the exhaust fumes. The traffic was immense, piled up in all directions. The car nearest the balcony was suddenly opened and out popped a man with a helmet and goggles on.

"Hey! You daft little street struts. What are you doing out there? Either get out or get in. Come on!" The man exclaimed in an Irish accent. The Doctor helped Marianne in first before following, coughing through the thick smoke.

They both gasped for breath once on board.

"Did you ever see the like?" The man asked. A dark haired woman put oxygen masks on Marianne and the Doctor. "There you go." she smiled kindly.

The man removed his helmet, goggles and scarf to reveal a cat's face.

"There's this story, says back in the old days, on Junction forty seven, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet." The man exclaimed.

"Oh, you're making it up." The woman frowned.

"A fifty foot head! Just think of it."

"Brannigan, we're moving." The woman told him.

"Right. I'm there. I'm on it." Brannigan told her, walking through the crowded small car to his drivers seat. The car moved forwards a very short distance.

"Twenty yards. We're having a good day. And who might you be, sir, madam? Very well dressed for hitch-hikers." Brannigan smiled, addressing Marianne and the Doctor.

"Thanks. Sorry. This is Marianne, and I'm the Doctor." He smiled, as they all shook hands.

"Medical man! My name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie." He said, gesticulating to his wife.

"Nice to meet you." Valerie smiled.

"And that's the rest of the family, behind you." Brannigan said proudly. Marianne pulled the curtain to reveal a litter of kittens in a fluffy cat basket.

"Aww!" She squealed, picking one up and kissing it's nose. Valerie smiled at her proudly.

"Ah, that's nice. How old are they?" The Doctor asked, stroking it's head.

"Just two months." Valerie said sadly.

"Poor little souls. They've never known the ground beneath their paws. Children of the motorway." Brannigan sighed, looking at his children. Little did he know, the Doctor was barely listening to him, he was too intent on watching Marianne be adorable with kittens.

"What, they were born in here?" Marianne asked.

"We couldn't stop. We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance." Valerie all but moaned.

"What, you've been driving non-stop for two months?" The Doctor asked, still not taking his eyes of Marianne as the kitten pawed her lip.

"Do I look like a teenager? We've been driving for twelve years now." Brannigan exclaimed.

"I'm sorry?" The Doctor asked, snapping out of it and turning to the cat man.

"Yeah! Started out as newlyweds. Feels like yesterday." Brannigan smiled, putting a paw hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Feels like twelve years to me." She laughed, rolling her eyes at her husband. "Anyway. Where're you from?" She asked.

"Never mind that. I've got to get out. My friend's in one of these cars. She was taken hostage. We should get back to the TARDIS." The Doctor told Marianne, who nodded.

"You're too late for that. We've passed the lay-by. You're passengers now." Brannigan told them.

"When's the next lay-by?" Marianne demanded.

"Oh, six months." Valerie smiled.

"We need to talk to the police." The Doctor stressed. 


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor hacked into the police system.

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold." The Computer replied, and Marianne frowned.

"But you're the police." She said, sounding ultra confused.

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold."

"Is there anyone else? I once met the Duke of Manhattan. Is there any way of getting through to him?" The Doctor asked through gritted teeth. Marianne sighed.

"Oh now, ain't you lordly?" Brannigan asked sarcastically.

"You don't even know the half of it." Marianne sighed.

"I've got to find my friend." The Doctor huffed, giving up on the police.

"You can't make outside calls. The motorway's completely enclosed." Valerie winced at the Doctor's fuming expression.

_I wouldn't be half as stressed if Marianne would even _**_look_**_ at_ me, The Doctor thought bitterly.

"Urgh, they've certainly made it passenger friendly, haven't they?" Marianne snapped. "Oh, I don't know. What about other cars?"

"Oh, we've got contact with them, yeah. Well some of them, anyway. They've got to be on your friends list. Now, let's see. Who's nearby? Ah, the Cassini sisters!" Brannigan exclaimed, looking through the on-screen phonebook before calling them. The screen showed two elderly sisters.

"Still your hearts, my handsome girls. It's Brannigan here." He grinned. One sister rolled her eyes.

"Get off the line, Brannigan. You're a pest and a menace." She snapped at him. Marianne frowned. Friend list?

"Oh, come on now sisters. Is that any way to talk to an old friend?" Brannigan asked.

"You know full well." The first lady snapped again.

"We're not sisters. We're married." The other said patiently. Marianne whistled through her teeth.

"Ooh, stop that modern talk. I'm an old fashioned cat. Now, I've got two hitchhikers here, calls themselves the Doctor and Marianne."

"Hello. Sorry. I'm looking for someone called Martha Jones. She's been carjacked." The Doctor grinned falsly in the camera. Marianne sighed and crossed her arms, watching him. "She's inside one of these vehicles, but I don't know which one."

One lady put down her knitting and picked up a large and dusty book. "Wait a minute. Could I ask, what entrance did they use?"

"Where were we?" Marianne asked Brannigan.

"Pharmacy Town." He smiled.

"Pharmacy Town." The Doctor told the old lady. "About twenty minutes ago."

"Let's have a look." The lady said, leafing through the book. Marianne looked on, slightly curious.

"Just my luck to marry a car spotter." The other grinned fondly.

"In the last half hour, fifty three new cars joined from the Pharmacy Town junction." The other told them.

"Anything more specific?" Marianne pushed, getting impatient by their slowness.

"All in good time." The car spotter snapped. Marianne stepped back indignantly. The Doctor smirked up at her, happy when she smiled back down.

"Was she car jacked by two people?" The car spotter asked.

"Yes!" The Doctor exclaimed, forgetting he was on a mission while he watched Marianne smile.

"There we are. Just one of those cars was destined for the fast line. That means they had three on board. And car number is four six five diamond six."

"That's it! So how do we find them?" Marianne asked, bending down in front of the monitor again.

"Now there I'm afraid I can't help."

"Call them on this thing. We've got their number. Diamond six." The Doctor told Brannigan.

"But not if they're designated fast lane. It's a different lane." Brannigan sighed. Marianne squealed due to frustratement.

"You could try the police." The old lady suggested pathetically.

"They put us on hold." The Doctor told her. "Thanks anyay."

"We have to go to the fast lane. Take us down." Marianne ordered Brannigan.

"Not in a million years." Brannigan told her, simply refusing.

"You've got four passengers!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"I'm still not going."

"She's alone and she's lost. Please." Marianne begged.

"She doesn't belong on this planet, and it's all my fault. I'm asking you, Brannigan. Take us down." The Doctor pleaded.

"That's a no. And that's final. I'm not risking the family down there." Valerie told them. Marianne looked back at the sleeping kittens.

"Why not? What's the risk?" Marianne asked suspiciously.

"We're not discussing it. The conversation is closed."

"No. I've just opened it. My best friend is down there, and I would quite like to know what could potentially happen to her. You listening?!" Marianne demanded, getting feisty. "What happens down there?"

Valerie looked intimidated, but turned around and watched the trail of cars out the windscreen, not saying anything.

"So we keep on driving." The Doctor said sarcastically.

"Yes, we do." Brannigan said, feeling uncomfortable. On one hand, he wanted to help these two. But on the other hand, he needed to support his wife and kids.

"For how long?" Marianne asked.

"Till the journey's end." He replied, at a loss for words.

The Doctor grabbed the radio handset. "Mrs Cassini. This is the Doctor. Tell me, how long have you been driving on the motorway now?"

"Oh, we're among the first. It's been twenty three years now." The lady replied.

"Oh, no." Marianne said, refusing to travel that long.

"And in all that time, have you seen a police car?" The Doctor asked quietly.

"I'm not sure." She replied awkwardly.

"Rescue service, even? Anything official. Ever?" Marianne asked desperately.

"I can't keep a note of everything." She sighed.

"What if there's no one out there?" The Doctor asked quietly. Brannigan snatched the mic back.

"Stop it. The Cassini's were doing you a favour."

"Someone's gotta ask. You might not talk about it, but it's there in the back of your head. What if this traffic jam never stops?" Marianne asked gently, putting a hand on Brannigan's arm.

"There's a whole city above us. The mighty city state of New New York. They wouldn't just leave us." He refuted.

"Well where are they then? What if there's no help coming, ever? What if there's nothing? Just this bloody motorway, with the cars going round and round and round for infinity. Never stopping. Forever." Marianne snapped.

"You think you know us so well. But we're not abandoned. Not while we have each other." Brannigan said, his voice full of emotion.

"This is for all of you on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe." The woman on the radio said in a bright American accent.

Suddenly, all that could be heard was a beautiful hymn. It seemed everyone on the motorway was singing it, including Brannigan and Valerie; whom had tears in her eyes. The noise was loud, and you could hear the emotion resonating throughout.

The only people not singing were Martha and the Doctor. Finally, Marianne couldn't take it any longer.

"Right. Well, if you won't take us, we're going down on our own." She said, bending down after snatching the sonic.

"What do you think you're doing?" Brannigan demanded. The sonic opened a trap door in the floor of the car. A car stopped directly under them.

"Here we go." The girl grinned.

"Finding our own way. We usually do." The Doctor smiled at Brannigan, before patting him on the arm as a farewell. He took his long coat off and gave it to Valerie along with a forlorn look.

"Look after this. I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat." He said sincerely. Valerie looked at the Time Lord's as if they were insane.

"But you can't jump." She insisted.

"If it's any consolation, Valerie, right now, I'm having kittens." The Doctor said, causing Marianne to frown.

"This Martha. She must mean an awful lot to the both of you." Brannigan smiled. Marianne nodded.

"I hardly know her but she's Marianne's best friend. I was too busy showing off, to be honest. And I lied to her. Couldn't help it, just lied. Bye then." The Doctor said to the couple.

Marianne smiled before jumping from their car to the one below. The Doctor grinned before following.

"They're completely insane!"

"That, and a bit magnificent!" Brannigan grinned.

Marianne used the sonic to open the next compartment onto the car they had jumped down on. The hatch opened to show a very pale man wearing a white suit.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked, glaring up at them both.

"Sorry, motorway foot patrol. We're doing a survey. How are you enjoying your motorway?" Marianne grinned breathlessly as she tousled her hair to get it neat again,

"Well, not very much. Junction Five's been closed for years." White Man complained. Marianne nodded, looked around as if inspecting it and then stood up straight.

"Thank you. Your comments have been noted." She said with a false grin. She opened the hatch on the floor and jumped down onto the next car without even looking to the Doctor for help. He smirked.

"Have a nice day!" He exclaimed, before following Marianne.

The next car had two students in it, and they looked at them as if highly shocked. They passed straight through, only stopping when the Doctor grabbed two scares.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Your comments have been noted. Do you mind if I borrow these?" He passed one to Marianne who used it to protect her face, as did the Doctor. "Not my colour, but thank you very much."

They passed down to the next car which had a nudist. "Oh, God. Don't mind us." Marianne laughed, oblivious to the Doctor's glare at her laugh.

The next car was a business man in a bowler hat and pinstripe suit. They both dropped in with a grin on their faces.

"Excuse me, is this legal?" The man asked.

"Sorry, motorway foot patrol. Whatever. Have you got any water?" The Doctor gasped.

"Certainly. Never let it be said I've lost my manners." The man smiled, and passed both Marianne and the Doctor a glasses of water.

"Is this the last layer?" Marianne asked inbetween drinking.

"We're right at the bottom. Nothing below us but the fast lane." He replied.

"Can we drive down?" The Doctor asked.

"I don't want to." The man shook his head, looking quite scared at the concept.

"Please." Marianne pleaded. The man shook his head again. She sighed and looked to the Doctor. He shrugged at her.

He bent down and opened the hatch. "You can't jump. It's a thousand feet down." The man insisted. Marianne rolled her eyes and bent down next to the Doctor.

"We just want to look." She snapped, interrupted only by a large and shaky growl. She jumped back slightly, only to be protected by the Doctor's hand on her arm, which she shrugged off.

"What's that noise?" Marianne asked.

"I try not to think about it." The man shrugged, but still had a concerned look on his face.

"What are those lights? What's down there? We just need to see." The Doctor said. He stood up and used the sonic on the computer monitors.

"There must be some sort of ventilation." Marianne called over. He nodded in agreement.

"If I could just transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system, give us a bit of a breeze." He said quickly.

With the help of Marianne, they connected wires to try and fix the ventilation.

"That's it! Might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look, eh Marianne?" He asked, grinning down at her. She ignored him.

After a short silence, the gentleman coughed slightly. "What are those shapes?" He asked, looking down through the hatch. Marianne and the Doctor bent down to look too, only to see gigantic claws snapping up at them.

"They're alive." The Doctor said quietly.

"What are they?" Marianne asked, turning to the Doctor.

"Macra." He replied through gritted teeth. "The Macra used to be the scourge of the galaxy. Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food." He explained.

"They don't look like empire builders to me." The man retorted.

"I'm guessing it was billions of years ago." Marianne told him, to be met by the Doctor nodding.

"Billions." He agreed. "They must have devolved down the years. Now they're just beasts. But they're still hungry and our friend is down there." The Doctor told the man. They looked up when they heard a clang on the ceiling.

"OH, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness's sake!" The man exclaimed. The hatch opened to reveal Novice Hame, the cat nurse.

"I've invented a sport." The Doctor told her. Marianne eyed the gun in her hand warily.

"Doctor, you're a hard man to find." Hame told him, smiling briefly as if sighing with relief.

"No guns. I'm not having guns." The gentleman insisted.

"I only brought this in case of pirates. Doctor, you've got to come with me. You too, Marianne. He speaks of a Marianne." Hame told her.

"How do you know my name?" Marianne asked, to be met by no answer.

"Do I know you?" The Doctor asked Hame, forgetting who she was.

"You haven't aged at all. Time has been less kind to me." Hame smiled.

"Novice Hame! No, hold on, get off. Last time we met you were breeding humans for experimentation." The Doctor said sternly. Marianne narrowed her eyes.

"I've sought forgiveness, Doctor. For so many years, under his guidance. And if you come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself." Hame told him sincerely.

"We're not going anywhere. You've got Macra living under this city. Macra! And if our friend is still alive, she's stuck down there." The Doctor snapped.

"You've both got to come with me right now." Hame insisted.

"No, no, you're coming with me. Sorry, bowler hat, but if you don't take us down to the fast lane, my cat friend here is going to use her gun that you don't like." The Doctor lied, completely bluffing.

"I'm sorry, both of you. But the situation is even worse than you can imagine." Hame said, grabbing Marianne and the Doctor's wrists. "Transport." She said.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare!" The Doctor shouted, but all three people were beamed away.

The trio picked themselves up from the dirty floor.

"Rough teleport." Marianne groaned, dusting herself down. Luckily. the Doctor had used his own body to protect her, so she wasn't in that much pain. He however...

"Ow. You can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Martha." The Doctor instructed.

"I only had the power for one trip." Hame replied, with sadness hinted in her gentle voice.

"Then get some more? Where are we?" Marianne asked, looking around and wincing as she did so.

"High above, in the over city."

"Good. Because you can tell the Senate of New New York I'd like a word. They have got thousands of people trapped on the motorway." The Doctor snapped.

"Millions." Marianne agreed with glaring eyes.

Hame tapped something into her teleport device and the lights turned on. Marianne and the Doctor looked around to find the senate filled with dusty skeletons.

"They died, Doctor. Marianne. The city died." Hame said sorrowfully.

"How long's it been like this?" Marianne demanded.

"24 years." Hame replied.

"All of them?" She asked. "Everyone? What happened?"

"A new chemical. A new mood. They called it Bliss. Everyone tried it. They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and it became airborne. Everything perished. Even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the fly overs, sealing off the under-city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost... They're saved." Hame explained.

Maybe the moods weren't good after all, Marianne thought sarcastically.

"So the whole thing down there is running on automatic." The Doctor stated.

"There's not enough power to get them out, right?" Marianne asked. Hame nodded.

"We did all we could to stop the system from choking." She replied.

"Who's we? How did you survive?" The Doctor asked.

"He protected me. And he has waited for you, these long years."

"Doctor. Marianne." A weak voice said from behind them. They turned around to be faced by the Face of Boe.

"The Face of Boe!" The Doctor grinned.

"I knew you would come back." The Face replied.

"Back in the old days, I was made his nurse as penance for my sin." Hame smiled sadly.

"Old friend. What happened to you?" The Doctor asked, bending down.

"Failing." Boe replied.

"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke. But with no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea." Hame explained.

"So he saved them." Marianne said quietly.

"The Face of Boe is running himself into the mainframe. He's giving his life force just to keep things running."

"But there are planets out there. You could have called for help." The Doctor told Hame, who nodded.

"The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years." She replied.

"So the two of you stayed here, on your own for all these years?" Marianne asked, still unaware as to who the Face of Boe actually was.

"We had no choice."

"Yes, you did." The Doctor refuted.

"Save them, Doctor. Marianne. Save them." The Face of Boe croaked.

The Doctor nodded and walked to a computer, motioning for Marianne to follow him.

"Who's that?" She asked him quietly.

"An old friend. Very old. Some believe he's a myth due to his age." The Doctor told her. "I met him at the end of the planet Earth. You must have heard of him." He told her. Marianne nodded.

"I actually thought he was a myth." She told him, working on a computer opposite him.

"Car four six five diamond six, it still registers! That's Martha. She's good." Marianne grinned.

"Novice Hame, hold that in place. Think, think, think. Take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity grid."

"There's not enough power." Hame replied.

"Oh you've got power, you've got us. We're brilliant with computers, just you watch. Hame, every switch on that bank up to minimum. I can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people." The Doctor grinned.

"So what are you going to do?" Novice Hame asked.

"This!" Marianne exclaimed, throwing a big switch, only to have the lights go off.

"No, no, no, no, no." The Doctor said. "The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through."

"Doctor. Marianne." The Face of Boe said.

"Yeah, hold on. Not now." Marianne called.

"I give you my last breath." Boe said. He exhaled heavily and the power came back to the computers.

"Hame, look after him." Marianne instructed.

"Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. You've got to see this. The open road. Ha!" The Doctor exclaimed, oblivious to the fact that Marianne was openly smiling at him.

Throughout all the cars on the motorway, light began to stream through, warming them all up as well as enlightening them. You could hear couples and people and children everywhere laughing in disbelief as they felt the sunlight for the first time in years!

"Doctor!" Hame called. He turned around to see Novice Hame and Marianne both stroking the tank of the Face of Boe upon seeing a large crack in the glass.

"Marianne? Doctor?" A familiar voice asked, as she walked into the room. The Doctor motioned for Martha to join him.

"Over here."

"Doctor! What's happened out there?" Martha asked. Marianne squeaked as the Face of Boe fell out of his tank.

"What's that?" Martha asked.

"It's the Face of Boe. It's all right. Come and say hello. And this is Hame. She's a cat. Don't worry. He's the one who saved you, not me." The Doctor told her. Martha cautiously walked closer.

"My Lord gave his life to save this city, and now he's dying." Hame cried.

"No, don't say that. Not old Boe. Plenty of life left." The Doctor insisted.

"It's good to breathe the air once more." The Face of Boe rasped.

"Who is he?" Martha asked.

"Nobody knows. Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years." Marianne told her.

"Everything has it's time. You know that, both of you, old friends, better than most." The Face of Boe told the two Time Lord's.

"The legend says more." Hame said.

"Don't. There's no need for that." The Doctor insisted.

"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to two travellers." Hame smiled gently.

"Yeah, but not yet." The Doctor said, on the verge of choking up.

"Who needs secrets?" Marianne agreed.

"I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind, as you two are the last of yours, Doctor, Marianne." The Face said. The Doctor and Marianne smiled sadly at each other, causing Martha to look shocked.

"That's why we have to survive. All three of us. Don't go." The Doctor pleaded.

"I must. But know this, Time Lord's. You are not alone." The Face of Boe breathed. He then closed his eyes.

The Face of Boe was dead.

Back in Pharmacy Town, everything had closed down.

"All closed down." The Doctor grinned.

"Happy?" Martha asked.

"Happy happy. New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs. A cat in charge. Come on, time we were off."

"But what did he mean, the Face of Boe. You are not alone?" Martha asked, looking between both Time Lord's.

"I don't know." The Doctor said.

"Me neither." Marianne added.

"You've got each other. Is that what he meant?" Martha asked.

"Maybe." The Doctor said.

"But it doesn't matter. Come on." Marianne said, and she began walking away. Martha looked up at the Doctor.

"She hurts you more than you like to admit, doesn't she?" Martha asked. He nodded.

"Yep. Maybe one day you'll learn why. I'm not letting it get to me, though. The Face of Boe was right, if that's what he actually meant. I'm not alone anymore, and neither's she. We both thought the other was dead. I can't even believe I'm not alone anymore. But anyway, this is all a bit heavy. Come on, back to the TARDIS." He smiled, but Martha didn't follow, and she pulled up a chair and sat down.

"All right. Are you staying?" The Doctor asked.

"Till you talk to me properly, yes. He said last of your kind. What does that mean?" Martha asked.

"It really doesn't matter." The Doctor insisted. If he told her about the war, he'd have to explain what happened with Marianne. And he couldn't do that. Not yet, anyway.

"You don't talk. Neither of you talk! You never say. Why not?" Martha asked.

"I lied to you, because I liked it. I could pretend. Just for a bit. I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky. I could imagine that Marianne still loved me. We're not Time Lord's. We're the last of the Time Lord's. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else. Not even for me, not really. Not with Marianne, because she hates me. I might as well be the very last again." He told her.

"What happened?" Martha asked, not knowing whether she meant about Marianne or the Time Lord's. A bit of both, she thought.

"There was a war, like Marianne said. A Time War. The last Great Time War. My people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation. And they lost. They lost. Everyone lost. They're all gone now. My family, my friends, even that sky. All that's left is me and Marianne." He told her. "But that sky... Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song."

As they talked, neither knew that Marianne was simply around the corner, listening with a sad smile on her lips.


	8. Chapter 8

"Where are we?" Martha asked, stepping out of the TARDIS and onto a white stone wall.

"If I'm not mistaken, I believe we're near the Atlantic Ocean." Marianne said, also stepping onto the wall. The Doctor followed, shutting the door behind him.

"Nice and cold." He agreed. "Have you met my friend?" He asked, pointing to the Statue of Liberty. Marianne smiled up at her.

"Is that-? Oh my God! That's the Statue of Liberty!" Martha exclaimed, oblivious to the fact that Marianne was smirking at her in amusement.

"Gateway to the new world." She laughed.

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to break free..." The Doctor quoted.

"That's so brilliant. I've always wanted to go to New York. I mean the real New York, not the new, new, new, new, new..." She trailed, walking to the edge of the wall. She jumped down. The Doctor held his hand out to Marianne, which she accepted and used to climb down. (She was only wearing a dress.)

"Thanks." She mumbled, not letting his hand go for a moment. She looked up at him, and when their eyes met, she seemed to get lost in them. She snapped out of it, dropped his hand quickly and followed Martha to the edge of the island, which had a brilliant view of Manhattan. The Doctor smiled and also followed.

"Well there's the genuine article. So good they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice. No wonder it didn't catch on. New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam." The Doctor finished.

"I wonder what year it is, 'cause look, the Empire State Building's not even finished yet." Martha noted, ignoring the Doctor.

"Work in progress. Still got a couple of floors to go. And if I know my history, that means it's about-" Marianne said, thinking hard.

"November 1, 1930." Martha concluded, reading it off a newspaper.

"You're getting good at this." The Doctor grinned, looking back at the girl.

"Eighty years ago." Martha breathed. The Doctor took the paper of her. "It's funny, 'cause you see all those old newsreels in black and white like it's so far away, but here we are. It's real. It's now." She laughed in disbelief, watching as both the Doctor and Marianne grinned at her. "Come on, you two misfits. Where do we go first?"

"We're not misfits." Marianne defended.

_She actually said that about me too? _The Doctor thought.

"Right..." Martha grinned, winking at her.

The Doctor cleared his throat and showed the headline to the two girls. "I think our detour just got longer." He pointed out.

"Hooverville Mystery Deepens." Marianne read aloud, before frowning.

"What's Hooverville?" Martha asked, confused.

They began walking again, in the direction of the parks. "Herbet Hoover, 31st President of the USA, came to power a year ago." The Doctor explained.

"Up until then, New York was boom town. The Roaring Twenties and all that. And then..." Marianne added.

"The Wall Street Crash, yeah? When was that, 1929?" Martha asked. Marianne nodded.

"The whole economy wiped out overnight. Thousands of people unemployed. Suddenly the huddled masses doubled in number with nowhere to go. So they ended up here, in Central Park."

"What? They actually live in the park? In the middle of the city?" Martha asked, as they walked over to Hooverville. It was a collection of random and poorly made shacks and tents.

"Ordinary people. Lost their jobs. Couldn't pay the rent. Couldn't afford the cost of living and ended up here. Well, not just here. Places like this all over the country. You only come here when there's nowhere else to go." Marianne sighed.

A sudden sound of fighting and arguing broke up, and the trio walked over just to hear the end of it.

"He stole my bread!" One bedraggled man shouted.

"That's enough!" A taller man shouted. He was clearly their leader. "Did you take it?" He snapped at the other man.

"I don't know what happened. He just went crazy." The apparent thief insisted. The other man lunged forwards but was restrained.

"That's enough!" The boss shouted again, holding them back with a look. "Now think real careful before you lie to me." He warned.

"I'm starving, Solomon." The thief moaned. Solomon held out his hand and the thief handed him the load of bread begrudgingly.

"We're all starvin'." Solomon told him gently. He broke the bread in half. "We all got families somewhere." He handed each person a half of the bread. "No stealin' and no fightin'. You know the rules. Thirteen years ago I fought in the Great War. A lot of us did. And the only reason we got through was because we stuck together! No matter how bad things get, we still act like human beings. It's all we got." Solomon lectured wisely. Marianne smiled at his words.

The two men smiled at each other before walking away. The Doctor walked over to Solomon.

"I suppose that makes you the boss around here." He asked.

"And, uh, who might you be?" Solomon asked, looking at the trio.

"He's the Doctor. She's Marianne. And I'm Martha." Martha grinned.

"A doctor." Solomon scoffed. "Well we got, uh, stockbroakers, we got a lawyer, but you're the first doctor. Neighbourhood gets classier by the day." He said, warming his freezing hands over a fire.

"How many live here?" Marianne asked.

"At any one time, hundreds. No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooverville. We are a truly equal society, black, white, all the same. All starving." He laughed. "So you're welcome. All three of you. But tell me, Doctor, you're a man of learning, right? Explain this to me." He pointed to the grand Empire State Building. "That there's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, and we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?" He asked.

"I don't think anyone will ever be able to justify it. All I can say is, it can only get better." Marianne promised him, surprising Solomon by answering him. He shrugged off his surprise and threw the remnants of his cheap, black coffee into the fire.

"So... men are going missing. Is this true?" The Doctor asked, holding up the same newspaper Martha had picked up, and pointing at the headline. Solomon sniffed and took the paper. " It's true all right."

He walked into his tent. The trio stood at it's opening. "But what does missing mean? Men must come here all the time." Marianne called.

"C'mon in." Solomon called back out, sitting down. The group walked in and sat down. Martha took a seat on a fold out chair, whereas the Doctor took off his jacket, laid it on the ground and pulled Marianne to sit on it next to him. "This is different." Solomon told them.

"In what way?" The Doctor asked, trying not to make it obvious that his hearts were beating out of time due to the closeness of he and Marianne.

"Someone takes them. At night. We hear something. Someone calls out for help. By the time we get there, they're gone. Like they vanish into thin air." Solomon sighed helplessly.

"And you're sure someone's taking them?" Marianne asked gently.

"Marianne, when you got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you got. Your knife, blanket... You take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, fire still burning." Solomon told her. She nodded.

"Have you been to the police?" Martha asked.

"Yeah, we tried that. Another deadbeat gone missing, big deal." Solomon sneered.

"So, the question is, who's taking them and what for?" The Doctor asked. Frank, a young man, stuck his head inside the tent,

"Solomon, Mr Diagoras is here." He told him. They followed Frank out the tent to where a hotshot man in a business suit, Mr Diagoras, was talking to the citizens of Hooverville.

"I need men. Volunteers. I got a little work for you and you sure look like you could use the money." He told them, looking at them without any remorse or kindness.

"Yeah. What is the money?" Frank demanded dryly.

"A dollar a day." Mr Diagoras said, almost smiling with satisfaction. The men grumbled.

"What's the work?" Solomon asked.

"A little trip down the sewers. Got a tunnel that collapsed, needs clearing and fixing. Any takers?" He asked, looking around at the dirty and poor group.

"A dollar a day?" Marianne asked. "That's a slaves wage." She scoffed.

"Who asked you, blondie?" Mr Diagoras snapped.

"Hey!" The Doctor exclaimed. "I dare you to call her that again." He warned. Mr Diagoras looked worried for a moment, until the Doctor backed down. Solomon sighed.

"Men don't always come back up, do they?" He asked quietly.

"Accidents happen." Mr Diagoras shrugged.

"What do you mean? What sort of accidents?" The Doctor spat, still angry. Marianne felt him shaking slightly, and so put a hand on his arm gently.

Of course, this took him by surprise. But it was nice, he thought.

"You don't need the work? That's fine. Anybody else?" Mr Diagoras asked. The Doctor raised his hand. "Enough with the questions." He snapped.

"No. I'm volunteering." He snapped back. Marianne raised her hand too.

"Me too." She sighed. Mr Diagoras smirked, until he saw the Doctor's glare. Martha gritted her teeth and raised her hand.

"I'll kill you for this." She hissed. Solomon and Frank also raised their hands.

~8~

The sewers weren't as bad as Marianne thought they'd be. Sure it was dank, but she'd been in worse conditions.

"Turn left. Go about half a mile. Follow Tunnel 273. Fall's right ahead of you. You can't miss it." Mr Diagoras ordered from up top.

"And when do we get our dollar?" Frank called. Marianne shook her head, still in disbelief at the wage.

"When you come back up." Came the reply.

"And if we don't come back up?" Marianne asked.

"Then I got no one to pay, ain't that right, Blondie?" He asked, knowing that the Doctor couldn't do anything now.

"Don't." Marianne told the Doctor gently, seeing his rage again. He nodded.

"We'll be back." Solomon shouted.

"Let's hope so." Martha sighed.

The group down below looked at each other for a moment.

"We just gotta stick together. It's easy to get lost. It's like a huge rabbit warren. You could hide an army down here." Frank said quietly. They all nodded and began walking away from the entrance.

"So what about you, Frank? You're not from around these parts, are you?" Martha asked, to break the silence.

"Oh, you could talk." Frank smiled. "No, no, I'm from Tennessee, born and bred." He said proudly.

"So how come you're here?" Martha asked.

"Uh, my daddy died. Mama... couldn't afford to feed us all. So, I'm the oldest, up to me to feed myself, so put on my coat, hitched up here on the railroads. There's a whole lot of runaways in camp younger than me. From all over, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas... Solomon keeps a lookout for us. So what about you three? You're a long way from home." Frank explained. Marianne and the Doctor shared a look.

"Yeah, I'm just a hitcher too." Martha smiled.

"You stick with me, you'll be all right." Frank laughed awkwardly.

"So this Diagoras bloke, who is he then?" The Doctor asked.

"A couple of months ago, he was just another foreman. Now it seems like he's running most of Manhattan." Solomon spoke up, looking around avidly in the dark and gloom.

"How did he manage that, then?" Marianne asked.

"These are strange times. A man can go from being King of the Hill to the lowest of the low overnight. It's just for some folks it works the other way 'round." Solomon said, not sounding bitter.

"Whoa!" The Doctor exclaimed, as he noticed a neon green blob lying on the ground. Martha walked forwards a little.

"Is is radioactive or something?" She asked, looking disgusted.

The Doctor set down his torch and bent down. Martha grimaced and plugged her nose.

"It's gone off, whatever it is." She complained. Marianne bent down too, as the Doctor slipped his glasses on and picked up the blob.

"And you've got to pick it up." Marianne sighed in disgust.

"Shine your torch through it." He asked. Marianne did so.

"Composite organic matter." She stated. "It's not human, I know that." She added.

Solomon and Frank looked down, not only puzzled by the blob, but by Marianne's words.

"No, it's not. And I'll tell you something else. We must be at least half a mile in and I don't see any sign of a collapse, do you? So why did Mr Diagoras send us down here?" The Doctor asked, turning to look at the other two men.

"So where are we now? What's above us?" Martha asked warily.

"Well.. We're right underneath Manhattan." The Doctor said, after a pause.

"So we're beyond half a mile." Solomon growled. "There's no collapse, nothing."

"Mr Diagoras lied." Marianne said through gritted teeth.

"So why did he want people to come down here?" Frank asked, looking scared.

"Solomon. I think it's time you took these three back. I'll be much quicker on my own." The Doctor asked him, oblivious to the hurt look Marianne sent him. She looked elsewhere, however, when a loud squeal resonated through the tunnels and channels.

"What the hell was that?" Solomon demanded.

"Hello?!" Frank called.

"Sh. Frank." Solomon warned. Marianne used her torch to look around to look for anyone.

"What if it's one of the folk gone missing? You'd be scared.. Half man down here on your own." He cried.

"Do you think they're still alive?" Marianne asked him.

"Heck, we ain't sen no bodies down here. Maybe they just got lost." Frank replied, and upon hearing more squealing he jumped back into Solomon.

"I know I never heard nobody make a sound like that." Solomon stated, not looking scared, but wary. The Doctor walked forwards slightly.

"This way." He called.

"No, that way." Solomon said, shining his torch down a different tunnel. The light from his torch shone upon a huddled figure on the ground.

"Doctor..." Marianne started. The Doctor rushed back over upon hearing the wariness in her voice.

"Who are you?" Solomon demanded.

"Are you lost? Can you understand me? I've been thinkin' about folk lost..." Frank said kindly, starting to walk forwards; only to be stopped by the Doctor's arm.

"It's all right, Frank. Just stay back. Let me have a look. Marianne." He said, and the couple walked towards the huddled figure. "He's got a point though, my mate Frank. I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own." He laughed gently. The creature squealed again. "We know the way out. Daylight. If you want to come with us." The two squatted down to find the figure had the face of a pig.

"Oh, darling, but what are you?" Marianne asked gently.

"Is, uh, that some kind of carnival mask?" Solomon asked, in disbelief that it was a real pig man.

"No, it's real." The Doctor replied. "I'm sorry." He told the pig man. "Now listen to me. I promise I can help. Now, who did this to you?" He asked.

"Doctor, Marianne, I think you'd better get back here." Martha warned, as more pig men filled the tunnel. "Oi!" She shouted when they ignored her. They both stood up.

"Actually, good point." The Doctor nodded. They both backed up to meet the others.

"They're following you." Martha told them.

"Thanks for that, Martha." Marianne said in a strained voice. When they reached them, they still didn't take their eyes away.

"Well then, Marianne, Martha, Frank, Solomon..." The Doctor began.

"What?" Martha asked.

"Um, basically... Run!" He shouted, and they raced down a tunnel to a cross section. The girls stopped.

"Where are we going?!" Martha demanded, out of breath.

"This way!" The Doctor called, swerving right. The pig men kept chasing them. The Doctor stopped at the mouth of a joining tunnel. "There's a ladder!"

He began to climb the ladder, and when he got to the top, he used to sonic on the manhole cover blocking them from the outside world. Everyone began climbing up after him, but Solomon stopped climbing when he saw Frank try to fend off the pig men with a metal rod.

"Frank!" He exclaimed wildly. He looked around and once Frank saw everyone was alright, he ran for the ladder and frantically began climbing. The Doctor and Solomon reached down their hands to haul him up, Marianne and Martha looked on worriedly.

"C'mon, Frank! C'mon!" Solomon yelled.

"I've got ya. C'mon!" The Doctor encouraged, but they were too late. The pig men grabbed Frank and pulled him back down the ladder before they could help him up.

"Frank!" Marianne yelled.

"No!" The Doctor screamed. Solomon shoved the Time Lord's out the way and put the cover back over the hole, stopping the pig men from escaping.

"We can't go after him." Solomon breathed heavily.

"Well you can't just leave him!" Marianne shouted back.

"No, I'm not losing anybody else! Those creatures were from Hell! From Hell itself!" Solomon cried. "If we go after them, they'll take us all! There's nothing we can do, I'm sorry."

They heard high heels clicking on the floor before they say her, and as they turned around, a blonde dancer was pointing a gun at them.

"All right then. Put 'em up!" She exclaimed dangerously. Martha was the only one to put her hands up. The girl cocked her gun. "Hands in the air, and no funny business." The other three sighed and put their hands up too. "Now tell you, you schmucks, what've you done with Lazlo?" She demanded, in her thick New York accent.

"Who's Lazlo?" Marianne asked, lowering her hands and standing up.

In the girl's dressing room, she still had her gun aimed at them all. "Lazlo's my boyfriend, or was my boyfriend until two weeks ago. No letter, no goodbye, no nothin'. And I'm not stupid, I know some guys are just pigs but not my Lazlo. I mean, what kinda guy asks you to meet his mother before he vamooses?" She demanded, waving her gun around wildly as she talked.

"It might just help if you put that down." The Doctor warned.

"Huh?" She asked, and upon realising she had the gun, she smiled and tossed it on a chair. "Oh, sure. Oh, c'mon. It's not real. It's just a prop. It was either that or a spear." She grinned.

"What do you think happened to Lazlo?" Martha asked gently.

"I wish I knew. One minute he's there, the next, zip-vanished." She sighed dramatically.

"Listen, ah- what's your name?" The Doctor asked.

"Tallulah." She replied.

"Tallulah." The Doctor repeated/

"3 L's and an H." She said, rather proudly.

"Right. Um, we can try to find Lazlo, but he's not the only one. There are people disappearing every night." The Doctor warned her.

"And there are creatures. Such creatures." Solomon cried.

"Whaddaya mean, creatures?" Tallulah asked, looking at each one of them for an answer, her eyes lingering on Marianne longer than they should.

"Look. Listen, just trust me. Everyone is in danger. I need to find out exactly what this thing is." The Doctor told her, taking the blob from his pocket. "Because then I'll know exactly what we're fighting."

Tallulah leaned forwards and looked at the blob, only to quickly real back in disgust. "Yech!"

The Doctor and Marianne were foraging for equipment in the props room.

"Got a radio." Marianne said, throwing it to him. He grinned as he caught it.

"Perfect." He told her. He threw it back. She rolled her eyes and grabbed his sonic. She used it on the insides of the radio.

"How about you two, Doctor, Marianne? Where are you from? I've been all over. I've never heard anybody talk like you two. Just exactly who are you?" Solomon asked, as he leaned against the wall, watching them. Marianne took a piece from the radio and blew on it.

"Oh, we're just sort of passing by." The Doctor said, watching her, transfixed.

"I'm not a fool, Doctor." Solomon chastised.

"No. Sorry." He replied, looking at him deeply. Solomon walked over to the sewer lid they had climbed through the looked at it.

"I was so scared. I let them take Frank 'cause I was just too scared. I gotta get back to Hooverville. With these creatures on the loose, we gotta protect ourselves. Ain't no one else gonna help us." He said grimly.

"Good luck." Marianne smiled.

"I hope you find what you're looking for. For all our sakes." He said, before leaving.

"Capacitors. We need capacitors, so if we get a chromosomal reading, we can find out where it's from." Marianne told him. He looked at her proudly.

In the dressing room, Tallulah and Martha were talking. Tallulah was doing her makeup for the show as Martha watched.

"Lazlo... He'd wait for me after the show, walk me home like I was a lady. He'd leave a flower for me on my dressing table. Every day, just a single rose." Tallulah sighed dreamily. Martha stood up and walked to her.

"Haven't you reported him missing?" She asked delicately.

"Sure. He's just a staghead. Who cares? The management certainly don't."

"Can't you kick up a fuss or something?" Martha asked.

"Okay, so then they fire me." Tallulah smirked.

"But they'd listen to you. You're one of the stars."

"Oh, honey. I got one stone in a back street revue and that's only 'cause Heidi Chicane broke her ankle- which had nothin' to do with me whatever anybody says. I can't afford to make a fuss. If I don't make this month's rent, then before you know it, I'm in Hooverville." Tallulah ranted. "It's the Depression, sweetie. Your heart might break but the show goes on, and if it stops, you starve. Every night I have to go out there, sing, dance, keep goin'. Hoping he's gonna come back." She cried, before hunching over and sobbing.

Martha hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry." She muttered. Tallulah pulled out of the hug, sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"Hey, you're lucky, though. You got yourself a forward thinking guy with that hot potato in the sharp suit." She smiled. Martha smiled gently.

"Uh, he's not- We're not together." She said.

"Ah right. So that Marianne girl is. I thought there was something between them, 'cause of the way he looks at her. Like he's proud of her, and in love, you know? But then I saw the way you look at him." Tallulah replied.

"They're not together either. It's complicated." Martha sighed.

"Oh! So he's into musicals, huh? What a waste." Tallulah replied, misunderstanding. Martha shook her head.

"Still, you gotta live in hope. It's the only thing that's kept me going 'cause... look." She said, lifting a white rose from her dressing table and smiling. "On my dressing table still, every day."

"You think it's Lazlo?" Martha asked, taking the rose.

"I don' t know. If he's still around, why's he bein' all secret like he doesn't want me to see him?" Tallulah sighed.


	9. Chapter 9

Marianne and the Doctor had both helped to make the DNA scanner, and were sat up in the balcony of the theatre, with the green blob hooked up to the scanner. Marianne stood on a chair, grabbed a light and pulled it down so it shone on the blob.

"That's it. Let's warm you up." The Doctor said, putting his glasses on and peering at the blob.

"It's artificial?" Marianne asked as she gazed at it.

"Ladies and gentlemen..." The announcer began.

"Genetically engineered, yeah. Whoever this is, oh you're clever." The Doctor cooed.

"With Heaven and Hell!" The announcer finished. Marianne looked up to watch Tallulah. The curtains opened and chorus girls were all dressed in red dresses with tails and horns, as if they were devils. As they parted, Tallulah appeared in front of a microphone, all in white with a halo and wings.

"You lured me in with your cold grey eyes, Your simple smile and your bewitching lies, One and one and one is three, My bad, bad angel, the Devil and me, You put the devil in me." She sang. The Doctor and Marianne awkwardly looked at each other as she sang. Marianne looked back up to see Martha dart from backstage to hide behind a chorus girl. She accidentally grabbed her and she fell.

Marianne shook her head and turned her attention back to the blob.

"Fundamental DNA type 467-989." The Doctor murmured.

"989?" Marianne asked, something dawning on them both. "That means the planet of origin..." She said.

"Skaro." They both choked at the same time, before standing up and sprinting away.

They both walked backstage - the show had finished- to look for Martha.

"Where is she? Where's Martha?" The Doctor asked Tallulah, who looked shaken up.

"I don't know." She breathed. "She ran off the stage."

Suddenly, they heard Martha scream and Marianne and the Doctor both ran to find her, followed by Tallulah. When they reached the prop room, she'd gone.

"Martha!" Marianne called. The Doctor bent down and noticed the sewer lid was crooked. Someone had been down recently. He grabbed his coat and shrugged it on.

"Oh, where are you goin'?" Tallulah asked.

"They've taken her." The Doctor replied, nodding to Marianne.

"Who's taken her?" Tallulah asked, as the Doctor helped Marianne down the ladder, before following her down. "What're y' doin'? I said, what the hell are ya doin'? Crazy people." Tallulah moaned, before finding a long coat, putting it over her skimpy costume and following them.

When they reached the bottom, the Doctor took one look and moaned. "No, no way. You're not coming."

"Tell me what's going on." Tallulah demanded.

"There's nothing you can do. Go back." The Doctor told her, but she shook her head and turned to Marianne instead.

"Look, they've taken Martha, and they could've taken Lazlo too. Couldn't they Marianne?" She asked.

"Look, Tallulah. You're not safe down here." Marianne tried.

"Neither are you, but here you are, followin' him like a puppy." Tallulah shot back. Marianne blinked. "Besides, it's my problem. Come on. Which way?" She asked. She walked down a tunnel.

"This way." The Doctor sighed, pulling her the other way.

"When you say, they've taken her, who's they exactly? And who are you anyway? I never asked." Tallulah said as they walked.

"Sh." The Doctor told her.

"Okay. Okay." Tallulah said, frustrated.

"Sh. Sh." The Doctor hissed.

In the weak light in the tunnel, they could vaguely make out the shadow of a moving Dalek.

"I mean, you're handsome and all-" Tallulah began, only to have the Doctor put a hand over her mouth and pull her back into the tunnel. He then grabbed Marianne's shaking hand and pulled her close to his chest, and for once, she didn't take her hand back. He knew she must be scared. She wouldn't have seen a Dalek since the war.

"No, no, no! They survived. They always survive while I lose everything." The Doctor moaned.

"Do you mean Rose?" Marianne asked, but with no anger in her voice. She actually wanted to know.

He didn't answer, afraid of saying the wrong thing. "That metal thing. What was it?" Tallulah asked.

"It's called a Dalek. And it's not just metal. It's alive." The Doctor told her.

"You're kidding me." She laughed.

"Does it look like he's kidding?" Marianne asked, obviously terrified. Tallulah sobered. Martha was much friendlier than Marianne, she noted.

"Inside that shell is a creature born to hate, whose only thought is to destroy everything and everyone that isn't a Dalek too. It won't stop until it's killed every human being alive." The Doctor told her, ignoring Tallulah's now heavier breathing and wide eyes.

"But if it's not a human being, it kinda implies it's from outer space." Tallulah breathed. Marianne and the Doctor both looked at her. "Yet again, that's a 'no' with the kidding. Boy.. Well, what's it doin' here, in New York?" She asked. The Doctor pulled her arm back so she would look at him.

"Every second you're down here, you're in danger. I'm taking you back right now. Both of you." The Doctor told them both, as they turned a corner and began walking away. But they stopped, however, when they saw a pig man trying to hide. Tallulah screamed.

"Where's Martha? What have you done with her? What have you done with Martha?" Marianne asked, walking to the pig man, who was terrified.

"I didn't take her." The pig man insisted.

"Can you remember your name?" She then asked.

"Don't look at me." The man begged, turning his face away as much as he could.

"Do you know where she is?" Tallulah asked, joining Marianne. When the pig man saw Tallulah, he recoiled even further.

"Stay back! Don't look at me!"

"What happened to you?" The Doctor asked. They could all now see that he was more of a man than a pig, unlike the others who only had a pig head.

"They made me a monster." He cried.

"Who did, sweetie?" Marianne asked gently. Eh, maybe she does have a nice side, Tallulah pondered, smiling at the girl.

"The masters." He replied.

"The Daleks." Marianne told the Doctor. "Why?"

"They needed slaves. They needed slaves to steal people so they created us. Part animal, part human. I escaped before they got my mind, but it was still too late." The pig man explained.

"Do you know what happened to Martha?" The Doctor pleaded with him.

"They took her. It's my fault. She was following me."

"Where you in the theatre?" Tallulah asked.

"Yes."

"Why? Why were you there?" She asked gently.

"I never wanted you to see my like this." He moaned. Tallulah frowned.

"Why me? What do I gotta do with this? Were you following me? Is that why you were there?" She asked. He turned his face to look at Tallulah.

"Yes."

"Who are you?" She asked.

The Doctor and Marianne shared a look. It was Lazlo.

"I was lonely."

"Who are you?" Tallulah asked again.

"I needed to see you. I'm sorry." He said, before turning away again.

"No, wait." She said, grabbing his arm. "Let me look at you." She placed him under the light. "Lazlo? My Lazlo? Oh what have they done to you?" She asked, her voice breaking.

"Lazlo, can you show us where they are?" Marianne asked gently.

"They'll kill you." He laughed.

"If I don't stop them, they'll kill everyone." The Doctor said, and Marianne flinched at the 'I'.

"Then follow me." Lazlo said, leading them through more tunnels. They walked through various tunnels until they came across a small group of Daleks, instructing a bunch of humans as to what they should do, sadly including Martha.

"They're divided into two groups; high intelligence and low intelligence. The low intelligence are taken to become pig slaves, like me." Lazlo explained, as they hid and watched on.

"Well, that's not fair." Tallulah insisted indignantly.

"Sh." The Doctor told them.

"You're the smartest guy I ever dated." Tallulah whispered to Lazlo, smiling sweetly at him and squeezing his hand.

"And the others?" Marianne asked, meaning the people classed as highly intelligent.

"They're taken to the laboratory." Lazlo replied quietly.

"But why? What for?" The Doctor asked.

"I don't know. The masters only call it the Final... Experiment."

They all stopped talking and watched as a Dalek scanned Frank, and then Martha. Marianne bit her lip.

"Immense intelligence. This one will become part of the Final Experiment." The Dalek barked. Marianne shook her head and jolted out from her hiding place.

"No!" She exclaimed indignantly, physically forcing her heart beats to slow down, so the Daleks wouldn't know she was a Time Lord. A Dalek whizzed to look at her.

"Intelligence scan. Superior intelligence." It said. "This one will become part of the Final Experiment."

Marianne shrugged and stood next to Martha in the line, holding her hand tightly.

"What are you doing?" Martha hissed.

"I don't want you here on your own." She hissed back, oblivious to the fact that Martha was smiling at her.

"Thank you." The girl mumbled.

"Excuse me! You can't experiment on people. It's inhumane." Marianne smirked, knowing that calling them that would rile them up.

"We are not human." One told her. "Prisoners of high intelligence will be taken to the transgenic laboratory."

Marianne's smirk faded, and she turned subtly to look at the Doctor, who had a manic look in his eyes as he watched her be led away.

"I'll get you." He mouthed, and she nodded and turned back to Martha.

Lazlo turned to the Doctor. "Doctor! Doctor! Quickly!" He exclaimed, wanting to turn the other way and leave.

"I'm not going. I can't leave her. I've got an idea. You go." He told Lazlo and Tallulah. Tallulah nodded.

"Lazlo, c'mon!" She exclaimed, walking slightly away.

"Can you remember the way?" Lazlo asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Then go. Please." He begged. Tallulah's eyes widened.

"But Lazlo, you gotta come with me." She insisted.

"Where would I go? Tallulah, I'm begging you, save yourself. Just run. Just go. Go." He told her seriously. Tallulah ran off, looking back anxiously before she disappeared from sight. The Daleks passed the Doctor and Lazlo, and the two men fell in line next to Martha, Marianne and Frank. Marianne's hand snaked from Martha's into the Doctor's sneakily, and he rubbed his thumb over her skin, knowing full well how terrified she must be.

"Just keep walking." He told her gently.

"I'm so glad to see you." She admitted.

"Yeah, well, you can kiss me later." He grinned, and even Marianne shook her head and smirked.

They were taken into the Daleks' lab, where somethings were bubbling away in boiling tubes.

"Report."

"Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution." The other replied.

"Evolution?" The Doctor asked.

"What's wrong with Charlie boy over there?" Martha asked, looking at Dalek Sec.

"Ask them." Marianne told her, still holding the Doctor's hand.

"What me? Don't be daft." She smirked.

"I don't exactly what us to get noticed. Ask them what's going on." The Doctor begged. Martha nodded and took a deep breath.

"Daleks, I demand to be told. What is this Final Experiment? Report!" She exclaimed grandly.

"You will bear witness." A Dalek said.

"To what?"

"This is the dawn of a new age. We are the only four Daleks so the species must evolve a life outside the shell. The Children of Skaro must walk again."

Dalek Sec's shell powered down to reveal a Human-Dalek Hybrid. Marianne gasped quietly. The clothing it was wearing was that of Mr Diagoras, the man who'd called her Blondie. The head of it was similar to that of a Dalek's whole body, with one eye and tentacles. The hands looked claw like.

"What is it?" Martha choked.

"I am a human Dalek. I am your future." Dalek Sec said slowly. "These... humans will become like me."

Marianne only knew the Doctor had slipped behind some machinery because he pulled her with him, nobody else had even noticed.

"Prepare them for hybridisation." Dalek Sec ordered. The pig slaves closed in on Martha, Frank and the others.

"Leave me alone! Don't you dare!" Martha shouted. The Doctor had put a song on the radio, 'So Long Marianne' by Leonard Cohen. Marianne shook her head. Lame, she thought. Everyone abruptly stopped talking and turned around, wondering where the hell the music was coming from.

"What is that sound?" Dalek Sec asked. The Doctor stepped out, the radio in his hands, followed by Marianne.

"That would be me, and her." The Doctor said, putting the radio down. "Hello. Surprise. Boo. Etc."

"Doctor. And unknown Time Lord. How her hearts are beating." Dalek Sec smirked.

"The enemy of the Daleks!" A Dalek roared. "Exterminate!"

"Wait." Sec ordered.

"Well then, a new form of Dalek." The Doctor said, walking forwards. "Fascinating and very clever."

"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter." Sec replied, causing Marianne to look sadly down at the floor.

"How did you end up in 1930?" Marianne asked gently.

"Ah, the Time Lady speaks! How does it feel, Doctor, to know you're not the last anymore?" Sec asked tauntingly.

"That's none of your business. Answer her question." The Doctor ordered.

"Emergency Temporal Shift." He stated. The Doctor grinned.

"Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells, yeah?" He scoffed, looking around the lab. "Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world but instead you're skulking away, hidden in the dark, experimenting. All of which results in you."

"I am Dalek Sec in human form."

"What does it feel like?" Marianne asked. "You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. That's your name, isn't it? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now."

"I... feel... humanity." Sec replied, clearly in awe.

"Good. That's good." The Doctor smiled, as did Marianne.

"I feel... everything we wanted from mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression and war. Such... a genius for war."

"That's not what humanity means." Marianne snapped.

"I think it does. At heart, this species is so very... Dalek." Sec smirked.

"All right, so what have you achieved then? With this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing! 'Cause I can show you what you're missing with this thing." The Doctor said, pointing at the radio. "Simple little radio." He said, patting it gently.

"What is the purpose of that device?" A Dalek asked.

"Well, exactly. It plays music. What's the point of that? Oh, with music, you can dance to it, sing to it, fall in love to it." He said, smirking at Marianne, who rolled her eyes. "Unless you're a Dalek, of course. Then it's just noise." He said, aiming his sonic at the radio, causing it to emit a high pitched wail. Dalek Sec held his head in pain while the Daleks acted oddly. The Doctor turned to the prisoners.

"Run!"

The prisoners followed the Doctor, Marianne and Martha as they sprinted through the tunnels once more. Some people were stopping, unsure as to where to go, only to start again when hearing the Doctor. "Come on! Move, move, move, move!"

Martha was actually stunned to silence when she noticed Marianne and the Doctor holding hands. She regained her composure however, when they noticed Tallulah walking slowly down the tunnels.

"And you, Tallulah! Run!" Marianne called.

"What happened to Lazlo?" She asked, slightly bewildered. The pig slaves and two Daleks were following. The Doctor led everyone to a ladder.

"C'mon! Everyone up!" The Doctor exclaimed, getting Marianne up first, who then held out hands to help everyone else up.

The party were together once more, and making their way back to Hooverville.

"Why were you holding his hand?" Martha asked quietly, slightly bemused, as her and Marianne walked alone.

"Those.. Things. Daleks. They're what we fought in the Time War. I never thought I'd see them again. I just need him for support. No matter what's happened, he's still my bond." She sighed wistfully.

"Does that mean you've forgiven him?" Martha asked wistfully.

"No." She said in a deadpan manner. Martha sighed and nodded, coming to a stop when they reached Hooverville.

They all gathered around Solomon's fire, with Martha, Marianne and Tallulah sat on crates.

"These Daleks, the sound like the stuff of nightmares. And they wanna breed?" A shocked Solomon asked.

"They're splicing themselves into human bodies. If I'm right, they've got a farm of breeding stock right here in Hooverville. We've got to get everyone out." The Doctor explained gravely. Solomon shook his head.

"Hooverville's the lowest place a man can fall. There's nowhere else to go."

"I'm sorry, Solomon. But you all need to get out of here. Go anywhere. The railroads, travel across the country... Just get out of New York." Marianne pleaded.

"There's gotta be a way to reason with these things." Solomon insisted, standing his ground.

"There's not a chance." Martha assured him.

"You ain't seen 'em, boss." Frank agreed, still looking haunted by what he saw.

"Dalek are bad enough at anytime, but right now they're vulnerable, and that makes them more dangerous than ever." The Doctor added.

The sentry at the edge of Hooverville suddenly blew his whistle as he saw pig slaves running over.

"They're coming! They're coming!" He shouted.

"A sentry. Must have seen something." Solomon stated.

"They're here! I seen 'em! Monsters! They're monsters!" The sentry screamed.

"It's started." Marianne said gravely, biting her lip.

"We're under attack! Everyone to arms!" Solomon ordered, watching as the men began passing out guns and weapons they had in their makeshift houses and tents.

"I'm ready, boss, but all o' you! Find a weapon! Use anything!" Frank said to Solomon. Some of the terrified residents sprinted off, desperate to get away.

"Come back! We gotta stick together! It's not safe out there! Come back!" Solomon called as he watched them run. He shook his head when he saw the pig men attack everyone who had tried to run away.

"We need to get out of the park." Martha said, somewhat scared.

"We can't! They're on all sides. They're driving people back towards us." The Doctor said through gritted teeth.

"We're trapped." Tallulah whimpered.

"Then we stand together. Gather 'round. Everybody come to me. You there, Jethro, Harry, Seamus, stay together." Solomon insisted. The pig slaves had forced everyone in a tight circle by Solomon's fire.

"They can't take all of us." The man said, before gritting his teeth and firing bullets upon bullets at the pig slaves.

"If we can just hold them off til daylight." Martha sighed.

"Oh, Martha. They'e just the foot soldiers." Marianne said, looking up at the sky. Everyone around them followed her lead.

"Oh, my God." Martha breathed. A Dalek flew above, looking down menacingly at them all.

"What in this world-" Solomon breathed, stopping firing for a second.

"It's the Devil. A Devil in the sky. God save us all. It's damnation." The sentry cried hopelessly.

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that." Frank said, firing at the Dalek but doing no damage. Marianne grabbed his arm and pushed the rifle down.

"Frank, that won't work." She told him gently.

"There's more than one of them." Martha cried, as more Daleks began to arrive, shooting at settlements, causing fires and setting off explosions.

"The humans will surrender." A Dalek barked.

"Leave them alone! They've done nothing to you!" The Doctor yelled up at the Daleks. Solomon stepped forwards but Marianne grabbed his arm too.

"Solomon, stay back." She asked him.

"I'm told that I'm addressin' the Daleks, is that right?" He asked, despite the girls warning. "From what I hear, you're outcasts, too."

"Solomon, don't." The Doctor warned.

"Doctor, this is my township. You will respect my authority. You too, Marianne." Solomon ordered, and Marianne shook her head at the foolishness of the man. "Just let me try." He said, pushing Marianne's hand away. She stepped back next to the Doctor, who was glaring at Solomon, probably for the push.

"Daleks, ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin?" Solomon asked, putting his gun down. "'Cause, see, I've just discovered this past day God's universe is a thousand times the size I thought it was. And that scares me. Oh, yeah. Terrifies me. Right down to the bone. But it's got to give me hope... Hope that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So I... I beg you now if you have any compassion in your hearts then you'll meet with us and stop this fight. Well... What do you say?" He asked. Marianne sighed.

There was a tense pause.

"Exterminate!"

A Dalek shot Solomon, killing him stone cold dead.

"Oh, no!" Frank wailed, and the inhabitants of Hooverville screamed at the bloodshed. "No, Solomon!" Frank cried, rushing to his side.

"They killed him. They just shot him on the spot." Martha cried.

"It's happening again." Marianne cried quietly.

"Daleks!" A pissed off Doctor roared, moving forwards, his arms out to his side. "All right! So it's my turn! Kill me! Kill me if it'll stop you attacking these people!" He insisted.

"I will be the destroyer of our greatest enemy." A Dalek said.

"Then do it! Do it! Just do it!" The Doctor shouted, beating his chest with his fists. "Do it!"

"Extermin-"

"No!" Marianne shouted, rushing forwards so that she was in front of him, her eyes closed as she prepared for the impact. But nothing happened. She cracked open one eye.

"I do not understand. It is the Doctor." The Dalek said, clearly talking to Dalek Sec. "The urge to kill is too strong. I... obey." It said after a while.

"What's going on?" A shocked Doctor asked, Marianne still stood in front of him. Martha's mouth had dropped open at the sight.

"You will follow. Both Time Lord's." The Dalek ordered.

"No! You can't go!" Martha insisted.

"We've got to go. The Daleks just changed their minds. Daleks never change their minds." The Doctor said, his voice shaky as he realised what Marianne had done.

"But what about us?" Martha asked. The Doctor looked at the inhabitants of Hooverville before facing the Dalek.

"One condition! If we come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?" The Doctor demanded.

"The humans will be spared. Doctor, Marianne... Follow." The Dalek ordered.

"Then I'm coming with you both." Martha insisted.

"Martha, stay here. Do what you do best. People are hurt. You can help them. Let her go." The Doctor said, knowing full well that Martha was more worried about Marianne. Martha looked them both up and down before nodding and striding back to Hooverville.

"Oh, and can I just say, thank you very much." The Doctor grinned, shaking Martha's hand with both of his and winking. Marianne simply hugged the woman.

"Use it wisely." She whispered, knowing the Doctor had just handed over his psychic paper.

As they walked, the Doctor was clearly mad at Marianne.

"Don't you ever do that again." He hissed.

"They were going to kill you!" She yelled back. He shook his head.

"So you thought you'd step in?!" He demanded.

"Yes! Do you know how much it hurts when your Bond is killed?!" She asked. This silenced the Doctor. Because she'd put her mental shields up, blocking him from hearing her thoughts, he'd thought that Marianne had broken their Bond. There was no way to know for sure. But now he knew.

They were still Bonded.

He realised then what he'd been about to put Marianne through. The most terrible agony ever.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. She simply nodded, took a shaky breath and squeezed his hand

When they reached the lab, the Doctor and Marianne immediately started on Dalek Sec.

"Those people were defenceless! You only wanted us, but no, that wasn't good enough for you! You had to start killing 'cause that's the only thing a Dalek's good for!" The Doctor shouted.

"The deaths... were wrong." Dalek Sec admitted after a thought. Marianne frowned.

"I'm sorry?" She asked.

"That man, their leader, Solomon. He showed courage." Sec replied.

"And that's good?" The Doctor asked, trying to get his head around this new concept AND the fact that he and Marianne were still Bonds.

"That's excellent." Dalek Sec smiled.

"Is it me or are you becoming a little bit more human?" Marianne smiled.

"You are the last two of your kind and now I am the first of mine." Dalek Sec said.

"What do you want from us?" The Doctor asked.

"We tried everything to survive when we found ourselves stranded in this ignorant age. First we tried growing new Dalek embryos but their flesh was too weak." Sec explained.

"Yeah, I found one of your experiments. Just left out there do die in the dark." The Doctor snapped, and Marianne felt a twinge of disgust when she thought back to the green blob.

"It forced us to conclude what is the greatest resource of this planet- its people." Sec said. Dalek Sec lifted a switch on the wall, which lit up the ceiling above to reveal hundreds of human bodies lying suspended. Sec lifted another switch and a body descended. It was shrouded. "We stole them. We stole human beings for our purpose. Look... inside." Sec told them.

The Doctor opened the shroud to show a man lying, looking dead.

"This... Is the extent of the Final Experiment."

"Is he dead?" Marianne asked quietly.

"Near death with his mind wiped ready to be filled with new ideas."

"Dalek ideas." The Doctor sneered.

"The Human-Dalek race." Sec smiled.

"All these people." Marianne breathed. "How many?"

"We have caverns beyond this storing more than a thousand." Sec told her.

"Is there any way to restore them? Make them human again?" The Doctor asked. Marianne bit her lip, praying that they would be able to restore these humans.

"Everything they were has been lost." Sec informed that. Her hopes crashed, and she closed her eyes.

"So they're like shells. You've got empty human beings ready to be converted." Marianne stressed.

"That's gonna take a hell of a lot of power. This planet hasn't even split the atom yet. How're you gonna do it?" The Doctor tested.

"Open the conductor plan." He told them. All three moved so Sec could show Marianne and the Doctor an animated graphic of their plan, showing the Empire State Building.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Empire State Building. We're right beneath that. I worked that out already, thanks. But what, you hijacked the whole building?" The Doctor asked.

"We needed an energy conductor." Dalek Sec replied.

"What for?"

"I am the genetic template. My altered DNA was to be administered to each human body. A strong enough blast of gamma radiation can splice the Dalek and human genetic codes and wake each body from its sleep." Dalek Sec explained.

"Gamma radiation?" Marianne asked. "What are- Oh, the sun. You're using the sun." She concluded.

"Soon... the greatest solar flare for a thousand years will hit the Earth. Gamma radiation will be drawn to the energy conductor and when it strikes-" Sec explained.

"The army wakes. I still don't know what you need us for." The Doctor shrugged.

"You're both geniuses. Consider a pure Dalek, intelligent but emotionless. And I saw the way Marianne here stepped in front of you to save you from a blast. I want that." Sec told them, going as far as to smile at a frowning Marianne.

"Removing the emotions makes you stronger. That's what Davros thought all those years ago." Marianne sneered.

"He was wrong." Dalek Sec insisted.

"He was what?" The Doctor asked, sure he'd misheard him.

"It makes us lesser than our enemies. We must return to the flesh." The other Daleks around seemed highly concerned at this outburst. "And also... the heart." Sec continued.

"You wouldn't be supreme beings any more." Marianne said in a high pitched voice, she was in disbelief.

"And that is good." Dalek Sec smiled."

"That is incorrect." A Dalek shouted.

"Daleks are supreme." Another said.

"No, not anymore." Sec informed them.

"But that is our purpose."

"Then our purpose is wrong! Where was our quest for supremacy led us? To this. Hiding in the sewers on a primitive world. Just four of us left. If we do not change now then we deserve extinction." Dalek Sec snapped.

"So you want to change everything that makes a Dalek, a Dalek." The Doctor said in disbelief.

"If you can both help me. Your knowledge of genetic engineering is even greater than ours. The new race must be ready by the time the solar flare erupts."

"But you're the template." Marianne said. "I thought they were getting a dose of you."

"I want to change the gene sequence, dear Marianne."

"To make them even more human?" The Doctor asked.

"Humans are the great survivors. We need that ability."

"Hold on a minute. There's no way this lot are gonna let you do it." The Doctor refuted, shaking his head and gazing at the metal beasts.

"I am their leader." Dalek Sec boomed.

"Oh, and that's enough for you, is it?" Marianne asked, turning to the three other Daleks.

"Daleks must follow orders."

Dalek Sec commands, we obey."

"If you don't help me.. Nothing will change." Dalek Sec said, almost begging for their help.

"There's no room on Earth for another race of people." Marianne warned.

"You have your TARDIS. Take us across the stars. Find us a new home and allow the Daleks to start again."

"When's that solar flare?" The Doctor asked.

"Eleven minutes."

"Right then, dear Marianne." The Doctor said, copying Dalek Sec. "Better get to work." He grinned, putting his glasses on. "You go and check the readouts over there." He told her, pointing to the other half of the lab. "I'll check this side!"

"There's no point in chromosomal grafting. It's too erratic." Marianne called as she rushed over to check up on their experiments.

"You're right. You'd need to split the genome and force the Dalek-Human sequence right in the cortex." The Doctor called back.

"We need more chromatin solution." Dalek Sec spoke up.

"The pig slaves have it." A Dalek replied, and right on cue, they walked in carrying a large crate, Lazlo being one of them. Marianne smiled at him for support.

"These pig slaves, what happens to them in the grand plan?" The Doctor asked as he worked.

"Nothing. They're just simple beasts. Their lifespan is limited. None survive beyond a few weeks. Marianne, power up the engine feeds." Dalek Sec told her. She nodded and did so. Meanwhile, the Doctor walked to Lazlo, who looked saddened by the news.

"Lazlo, I can't undo what they've done to you, but they won't do it to anyone else." The Doctor said gently. Lazlo nodded, understanding. He was just sad that Tallulah would move on without him.

"Do you trust him?" Lazlo asked, looking pointedly at Dalek Sec.

"I know that one man can change the course of history." The Doctor adjusted. "Right idea in the right place at the right time is all it takes. We've got to believe it's possible."

"The line feeds are ready." Marianne called. The Doctor rushed over to her, and he extracted a solution inside a bunch of tubes with a syringe.

"Then it's all systems go." The Doctor grinned at Marianne.

"The solar flare is imminent. The radiation will reach Earth in a matter of minutes." Dalek Sec told them. Marianne nodded.

"We'll be ready for it." She promised.

The Doctor inserted the syringe into a main feeding tube and injected the fluid out.

"That compound will allow the gene bonds to reconfigure in a brand new pattern. Power up!" The Doctor exclaimed, excited.

One of the pig slaves turned on the power, as did Lazlo.

"Start the line feeds." Dalek Sec ordered. A Dalek started the machinery and the solution began moving through the tubes.

"There goes the gene solution." Marianne sighed.

"The life blood." Dalek Sec said. The fluid began coursing up to the human bodies in the ceiling.

A klaxon sounded, however, and red warning lights began to flash. "What's that?" Marianne asked, worried.

"What's happening? It there a malfunction? Answer me!" Dalek Sec demanded.

"No, no, no. The gene feed! They're overriding the gene feed!" The Doctor groaned, and Marianne rushed over with him to the controls in order to try and fix it. Dalek Sec turned to his troops.

"Impossible. They cannot disobey orders." Sec breathed.

"The Doctor and Marianne will step away from the controls." A Dalek demanded, and they both slowly stepped back.

"Stop! You will not fire!" Dalek Sec shouted, seethingly angry.

"They are enemies of the Daleks." The Dalek shouted.

"And so are you." Another told Dalek Sec, who frowned. The Daleks aimed their weapons against the Time Lord's and also their so called leader.

"I am your commander, I am Dalek Sec." He shouted.

"You have lost your authority. You are no longer a Dalek."

"What have you done to the gene feed?" Marianne demanded angrily.

"The new bodies will be 100% Dalek."

"No, you can't do this!" The Doctor yelled, furious.

"Pig slaves, restrain Dalek Sec, Marianne and the Doctor." A Dalek instructed, and they rushed off and did so.

"Release me. I created you. I am your master." Dalek Sec gasped as the pig slaves grabbed him. The Daleks turned to their machinery just as a lift bell pinged.

"There's the lift." Lazlo said.

"After you." The Doctor said, grabbing Marianne's hand and pulling them quickly to the lift.

"The Doctor is escaping! Stop him!" A Dalek called. The Doctor, Marianne and Lazlo pushed their ways to the lift. The pig slaves followed but the lift doors had already closed by the time they reached them.

Marianne let out a shaky breath once inside. Lazlo was leaning against the door, breathing extremely heavily.

"We've ony got minutes before the gamma radiation hits Earth. We need to get to the top of the building." The Doctor said.

"Lazlo, what's wrong?" Marianne asked, putting a hand on his shoulder in concern.

"Out of breath. It's nothing. We escaped them, Marianne. That's all that matters." Lazlo smiled. When they reached the bottom, the lift doors opened and Martha grinned when she saw the three of them get out.

"Marianne! Doctor!" Martha grinned.

"First floor, perfumery." The Doctor smiled.

"I never thought I'd see you again." Tallulah breathed, rushing over to Lazlo and hugging him tightly.

"No stopping me." Lazlo laughed.

"We've worked it out. We know what they've done. There's Dalekanium on the mast. And it's good to see you too, by the way." Martha said, looking at Marianne pointedly. She laughed and grappled her in a hug.

"Oh, come here." The Doctor said when Marianne let her go, and he grabbed her in a hug and twirled her around. He put her down, however, when they heard the bell ding again the lift doors close.

"No, no, no. Never waste time with a hug." The Doctor grunted, rushing to the lift and using the sonic on the panel. "It's a deadlock seal. I can't open it."

"Where's it going?" Marianne asked.

"Right down to the Daleks. And they're not going to leave us alone up here. What's the time?" The Doctor asked.

"11:15." Frank said, reading off his scuffed watch.

"Six minutes to go. I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits it."

"Gamma radiation? What the heck is that?" Tallulah demanded.


	10. Chapter 10

Marianne, Martha and the Doctor all left the top floor of the Empire State Building and walked outside. Tallulah and Lazlo both followed. The Doctor looked up and out onto the city.

"Oh, that's high. That's very- Blimey, that's high." He marvelled.

"And we've got to go even higher. That's the mast up there, look. There's three pieces of Dalekanium at the base. We've got to get them off." Martha said, rather optimistically for what was about to happen.

"That's not 'we'. That's just me." The Doctor told her seriously.

"I for one won't stand here and watch you." Marianne snapped. "I'm comin' with you."

"No, you're gonna have your hands full, anyway. I'm sorry, Marianne, Martha. But you're gonna have to fight." The Doctor replied gravely. Marianne shook her head.

"You can't stop me coming with you." She laughed, tying her hair up into a long ponytail as to keep it out her face.

"What if you fall and-" He trailed off, choking up with the thought.

"What if you fall!" She countered. He didn't reply, and she saw it as her victory. "You need all the help you can get, it's windy today."

"Ah that's making me feel better, telling me it's windy." The Doctor nodded. He gritted his teeth and began climbing the mast, really hoping that Marianne wouldn't follow. But he heard her grunt as she climbed up the other end, and she grinned as she came face to face with him.

"I need my own sonic." She told him.

"And you think this is the right time to tell me?!" He shouted back through the wind. She nodded as they continued climbing. The rain was chucking itself down on the arguing duo, who were mad at each other for different reasons.

Marianne was mad at him because of what he'd done years ago, and also for trying to do this without her. The Doctor was mad at her for trying to intercept the Daleks laser gun and doing this with him!

They soon reached the top of the mast, and the place where the Dalekanium lay bolted to the mast. The Doctor used his sonic to loosen the bolts. He struggled for a while, Marianne not doing anything other than watching. He finally got the bolt out, and let Marianne pull the panel off. He then handed her the sonic to do the piece on her side. She was trying to get into a fiddly bit, and combined with wet fingers from the rain, her hand made for a slippy surface. She lost her grip on the sonic and it crashed down past the ledge and down, falling forever.

"Ah!" She screamed in surprise and frustration. The Doctor closed his eyes in frustration too. They both looked at each other and began trying to pull the panels off with their bare hands, cutting them up with the effort and everything.

"It's not going to work!" Marianne cried through the wind. They both knew now that they wouldn't get the Dalekanium off in time. They'd failed. They both looked up at the unforgiving sky. They gripped the mast even tighter, clinging on. The Doctor's hand moved forwards until it was hovering over Marianne's and then he clamped it down, holding her hand the best he could.

A bolt of lightening struck the mast, coursing through the metal and hitting the Doctor and Marianne who both screamed in agony. Not only that, but the pain was strong enough to feel through the Bond, so they were getting it twice as bad. The Doctor also knew that he would be kept up at night by Marianne's screams for the rest of his life. They were truly terrifying, blood curdling screams.

And then she fell, and he fell with her.

"Doctor! Marianne!" Martha cried, rushing over to her friends and kneeling beside them. "Look what we found halfway down." She said, holding up the sonic. "You're getting careless."

The Doctor regained consciousness first. "Oh, my head." He groaned.

"Hiya." Martha smiled, relieved.

"Hi. You survived then."

"So did you. But Marianne..." She trailed off. The Doctor turned to look at her. Her mental shields weren't up for the first time in a long time, and he could have danced for happiness when he could read her thoughts.

"She's awake, she's just about to come to." The Doctor said. And sure enough, ten seconds later she opened her eyes.

"Oh, my head." She groaned. Martha eyed up the Doctor. They really were alike, she thought.

About five minutes later, everyone was fine again.

"I can't help noticing... There's Dalekanium still attached." Martha said, pointing up the mast. The Doctor and Martha stumbled to their feet.

"The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing. They'll be using the sewers, spreading their soldiers out underneath Manhattan." The Doctor explained.

"How do we stop them?" Lazlo asked.

"There's only one chance. We got in the way. That gamma strike went zapping through us first."

"But what does that mean?" Martha asked.

"We need to draw fire. Before they can attack New York, I need to face them. Think. We need some sort of space, somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way. Talllulah!" The Doctor exclaimed, turning to her. She grinned.

"That's me. Three Ls and an H."

"The theatre! It's right above them, and, what, it's gone midnight? Can you get us inside?" Marianne asked, catching onto his train of thoughts.

"Don't see why not." Tallualah shrugged.

"Is there another lift?" The Doctor asked.

"We came up in the service elevator." Martha told him.

"That'll do. Allons-y!" The Doctor grinned.

When they arrived at the darkened, empty theatre, they all stood in the darkness rather creepily.

"There ain't nothin' more creepy than a theatre in the dark. Listen, Doctor, I know you got a thing for showtunes, but there's a time and place, huh?" Tallulah asked, grimacing sweetly. Lazlo collapsed into a nearby chair.

"Lazlo, what's wrong?" She asked, worried.

"Nothing. It's just so hot." Lazlo breathed heavily.

"But.. It's freezing in here. Doctor, what's happening to him?" Tallulah asked. The Doctor was using the sonic, checking its frequency.

"Not now, Tallulah. Sorry."

"What are you doing?" Martha asked him.

"If the Daleks are going to war, they'll wanna find their number one enemy. I'm just telling them where I am." The Doctor said, holding up the sonic and turning it on. He then turned on Marianne and Martha.

"Right, now. I'm telling you to go. Frank can take you back to Hooverville. And don't try arguing Marianne, look at what happened last time you did something like this with me." He told me.

"What, I ruined it?" She demanded. "You might as well say it. I dropped the sonic. This is my fault." She snapped.

"We're not going." Martha replied.

"Martha, this is an order. Both of you." The Doctor said, agitated and angry.

"Who are you, then? Some sort of Dalek?" Martha demanded, angry too. The doors to the theatre burst open and the human Daleks arrived.

"Oh, my God! Well, I guess that's them, huh?" Tallulah gasped.

"Humans with Dalek DNA." Marianne hissed.

Frank moved to attack them, but the Doctor pulled him back. "It's all right. Just stay calm. Don't antagonize them."

"But what about the Dalek masters? Where are they?" Lazlo asked, looking around avidly.

There was suddenly an explosion on stage and the group all jumped to the ground and hid behind the theatre seats for cover from the blast. The Doctor peered over the chairs, and when the smoke cleared, he saw two Dalek's, with Dalek Sec on a chain and walking on all fours, like a dog. He stood slowly as the others peeked over the chairs too.

"The Doctor and Marianne will stand before the Daleks. The last Time Lord's in existence." A Dalek ordered. The Doctor helped Marianne up, and they both faced forwards, hand in hand. They walked over a chair and walked down until they reached the front row. "You will die. It is the beginning of a new age,"

"Planet Earth will become New Skaro." The other Dalek stated.

"Oh, and what a world, eh?" Marianne asked sarcastically. "With anything just the slightest bit different ground intot the dirt." She spat.

"That's Dalek Sec. Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him." The Doctor added, pointing at Dalek Sec. "Is that your new empire? Hmm? Is that the foundation for a whole new foundation?"

"My Daleks... Just understand this. If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you." Dalek Sec said, pleading with them to understand.

"Incorrect. We will always survive." A Dalek retorted. "Now we will destroy our greatest enemy, the Doctor, and his Bond, Marianne."

"But they can help you!" Dalek Sec shouted angrily.

"The Doctor and Marianne must die. "

"No, I beg you, don't." Sec pleaded.

"Exterminate!" A Dalek roared, shooting Dalek Sec. He fell to the ground, dead.

"Your own leader." Marianne sneered. "The only thing that might have led you out of your crooked darkness and you killed him."

"Do you see what they did? Huh? You see what a Dalek really is?" The Doctor demanded, turning to the Dalek-Humans. "If we're gonna die, let's give the new boys a shot. What do you think, eh? The Dalek-Humans. Their first blood. Go on, baptize them."

The Doctor held out his arms to the side, pushing Marianne behind him. She turned to look at Martha, who looked terrified.

"Dalek-Humans, take aim." The Dalek ordered, and they cocked their guns and aimed them at the Doctor and Marianne.

"What are you waiting for? Give the command!" The Doctor shouted.

"Doctor..." Marianne trailed, not thinking this the best thing to do. She didn't really _want_ to die, funnily enough.

"Exterminate!" The Doctor closed his eyes, while Marianne shrieked and ducked. Martha hid her head on Frank's chest, but nothing had happened. "Obey. Dalek-Humans will obey."

"Not firing. What have you done?" Marianne asked, standing back up and looking at the Doctor, seemingly furious.

"You will obey. Exterminate." The Dalek ordered again.

"Why?" A Dalek-Human asked. Mariane grinned.

"Daleks do not question orders." The Dalek barked.

"But why?"

"You will stop this."

"But... Why?"

"You must not question!"

"But you are not our master. And we... we are not Daleks." The Dalek-Human retorted.

"No, you're not." Marianne laughed gently. "And you never will be!"

"Sorry, we got in the way of the lightening strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom." The Doctor said, winking at the Daleks. Marianne laughed again. Why hadn't she thought of that?

"If they will not obey, then they must die." The Dalek said, shooting the man who'd questioned. The Doctor grabbed Marianne's hand.

"Get down!" He roared. They all ducked behind their seats.

"Exterminate! Exterminate!"

The Dalek-Human's, however, didn't want the Dalek's alive. They aimed their guns and shot, destroying them all by blowing them both up. They stopped firing.

Frank, Martha, Tallulah, Lazlo and Marianne shakily stood up. The Doctor walked to one of the Hybrid's.

"It's all right. You did it. You're free." He grinned, but his smile faded when the Dalek-Human's gripped their heads and screamed in pain. Marianne jolted forwards and joined the Doctor.

"No!" He roared. The Hybrid's all fell to the ground. "They can't! They can't! They can't!"

"What happened? What was that?" Martha asked.

"They killed 'em. Rather than let them live. An entire species. Genocide."

"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed. One of the Dalek masters must still be alive." Lazlo shouted over. The Doctor stood up from looking at the Hybrids.

"Oh, yes. In the whole universe, just one." He said.

The Dalek was connected to the battle computer. The Doctor entered at the other end of the room.

"Now what?" He asked.

"You will be exterminated." The Dalek replied.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just think about it, Dalek- What was your name?" He asked.

"Dalek Caan." It replied.

"Dalek Caan. Your entire species has been wiped out. And now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated. Leaving only you. Right now you're facing the only man in the universe who might show you some compassion. 'Cause I've just seen one genocide. I won't cause another. Caan... Let me help you. What do you say?" The Doctor asked sincerely.

"Emergency Temporal Shift!" Dalek Caan exclaimed. Dalek Caan disappeared, leaving wires hanging everywhere and a pissed off Doctor. Martha, Tallulah and Marianne slowly walked into the lab, supporting a dying Lazlo.

"Doctor! Doctor! He's sick!" Martha called. Lazlo was breathing heavily, wheezing even. They lowered him to the ground, Tallulah cradling him in her lap.

"It's okay. You're all right." Marianne lied. The Doctor walked over and crouched down.

"It's my heart. It's racing like mad. I've never seen anything like it." Martha breathed.

"What is it, Doctor? Marianne won't tell me, but what's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe? What is it?" Tallulah asked, tears glistening in her eyes.

"It's time, sweetheart." Lazlo croaked.

"What do you mean, time? What are you talking about?" She asked.

"None of the slaves... Survive for long. Most of them only live a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on 'cause I had you. But now... I'm dyin', Tallulah."

"No you're not. Not now, after all this. Marianne, Doctor. Can you help?" She asked, looking more at Marianne. She was a girl too, she'd know how much this meant to her. Marianne smiled.

"Tallulah. Three L's and an H. Of course I can." She smiled. She stood and tied her hair up to keep it out of her face.

"Doctor?" Tallulah croaked, wanting him to help her. He nodded and took his jacket off.

"What do we need? Oh, I don't know. How about a great big genetic laboratory? Oh, look. We've got one. Lazlo, just you hold on." The Doctor said, pointing sternly at him. Marianne whizzed to the other end of the lab, mixing up a solution while the Doctor helped.

"There's been too many deaths today. Way too many people have died." Marianne grumbled while she worked.

"Brand new creatures and wise old men and age old enemies." The Doctor agreed. "And I'm tellin' you, I'm tellin' you right now, we are not having one more death! Got that? Not one! Tallulah, out of the way." He said, bending down with his stethoscope.

"The Doctor is in." Marianne laughed gently, tapping the boiling tube and holding it up to the light.

The Doctor, Marianne, Martha, Tallulah and Lazlo were strolling through Central Park, Lazlo bundled up in an overcoat and hat. Frank walked over, hands in pockets, humble smile on his face.

"Well, I talked to 'em and I told 'em what Solomon would've said and I reckon I shamed one or two of 'em." He said triumphantly.

"What did they say?" Marianne asked.

"They said yes." Frank replied, and Tallulah grinned and hugged Lazlo. "They'll give you a home, Lazlo. I mean, uh, don't imagine people ain't gonna stare. I can't promise you'll be at peace but, in the end, that is what Hooverville is for, people who ain't got nowhere to go." He concluded.

"Thank you. I- I can't thank you enough." Lazlo grinned.

The Time Traveller's were back on Liberty Island, Lady Liberty standing tall over them.

"Do you reckon it'll work.. Those two?" Marianne asked.

"Well.. I can think of worse couples. But I can also think of better." Martha said, eyeing up the Doctor and Marianne who seemed to have gone back to normal, hardly speaking to the other.

"I don't know." The Doctor added. "Anywhere else in the universe, I might worry about them. But New York, that's what this city is good at. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and maybe the odd pig-slave-Dalek-mutant-hybrid too." Marianne laughed at that.

"The pig and the showgirl." She grinned, edging closer to him.

The pig and the showgirl." He nodded, smiling down too.

"Just proves it, I suppose. There's someone for everyone." Martha said, looking at the two of them. Marianne frowned, knowing full well what she was thinking.

"Maybe." She shrugged. The Doctor began walking to the TARDIS and the two ladies followed.

"Meant to say... Sorry." Martha sighed.

"What for?" The Doctor asked.

"Just 'cause that Dalek got away. I know what that means to you, both of you. Think you'll ever see it again?" She asked.

"Oh yes. Definitely." Marianne nodded sadly, pausing in the doorway.

"One day." The Doctor nodded.

Marianne was reading a book on the jumpseat when Martha sat next to her. She set her book down and smiled at her.

"I want you to tell me what happened between you and him. Properly." She demanded. Marianne sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Fine." She grunted. "Like I said, we were Bonded. Only I didn't want to rush into things. I didn't want to be one of those couples that rush into love only to find they hate each other. So I asked him to wait a couple of months for our Bond to grow stronger. We did that. When we saw each other again, it was perfect. The perfect couple, we really were. So happy. And then war broke out, and we were forced to fight. We were torn apart. We both wanted to get out and leave, but we couldn't. Or so I thought. He stole a TARDIS and ran away. Of course, he offered to take me. He came up to me and asked me if I would travel with him. But he didn't know something. I was pregnant. When he found out.. He flipped and ran away. He left me to deal with a child and the war." Marianne explained, watching as Martha's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Really?" She asked. "He left?"

"He has commitment issues. He always has. He was scared." She sighed. "The thing was, it was a false positive. I didn't have a child. I was never pregnant. I had to salvage remains from the planet during the middle to the end of the war and build a Vortex Manipulator. I did it, of course. And I crash landed in Earth. I met you a while later." She nodded. Martha looked disturbed and worried. She could see why Marianne was so mad at the Doctor.

"Are you still mad at him?" Martha asked quietly.

"Very much so." Marianne nodded. "But I don't know.. It's hard to not love the Doctor, isn't it? Really hard. I've got mental blocks up to try and stop him from reading my mind, I've put a block on our Bond so we can't feel it properly. The only time we'd feel it is if the other died, or was in immense pain."

"That's awful." Martha cried. "I had no idea. Does he know you didn't have a child?"

"I don't think so. He hasn't even asked. Which is a bit weird considering it would be his child."

"Are you sure it would?" Martha winced as she asked.

"Yes. Definitely." She nodded. She would always be faithful, to anyone.

"I can't believe you're still here." Martha breathed.

"Like I said, it's hard not to love the Doctor. I can't help but adore him."

Little did the girls know, the Doctor had just entered the console room and heard everything they had just said.

Woo! I just got back from getting my results! I'm only in Year 10 so obviously I didn't get all of them, but I'm so pleased. I just hope I can do the same for my final year!

I got two A*'s in English, A's in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and BCS and a C in Maths. Happy Fay!

I hope you all did well and got what you want/need.

-Fay x


	11. Chapter 11

The Doctor smiled to himself at Marianne's secret revelation, and coughed loudly before walking into the console. He couldn't keep his grin to himself, but luckily, Marianne had looked away when she heard his cough. Only Martha could see his grin, and she gritted her teeth. He'd been listening?! She glared at him.

"You're a bad man." She mouthed. He nodded. He knew he was, but he couldn't help it sometimes. He strolled over to the console, grinning at Marianne. She looked up at him and frowned.

"What?" She asked harshly. His grin dropped to a smirk and he shook his head.

"Nothing." He said, rather soberly, Martha noted. She smirked herself and walked over to the Time Lord's.

"Well, here goes. Let's go." The Doctor said, and he and Marianne both plugged in the co-ordinates. They landed fairly smoothly, much to everyone's surprise. "There we go... Perfect landing, which isn't easy in such a tight spot."

"We should be used to tight spots by now. Where are we?" Martha asked.

"The end of the line." The Doctor said, all humour now gone from his face. Marianne looked down at the console unhappily. She didn't want Martha to go. Martha ran to the doors. "No place like it." The Doctor added. She looked back at them both, as if she was asking whether she actually should open the doors or not. He nodded at her and she goes outside, only to have her hopes plummet.

"Home. You took me home?" She demanded.

"In fact, the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about 12 hours. No time at all, really." The Doctor shrugged. Martha turned to Marianne. She shrugged. All three left and walked into Martha's bedroom. The Doctor looked through photo's stuck on the wall, mainly of Martha and her family or Marianne. They'd been really close, the Doctor noted unhappily.

"But all the stuff we've done- Shakespeare, New New York, old New York?" A hurt Martha asked, betrayal clear and potent in her eyes.

"Yep, all in one night. Relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was- books, CDs-" The Doctor rambled, picking up some of Martha's underwear from a clothes maiden. "Laundry."

Marianne grimaced at him and snatched the underwear back, throwing it on Martha's bed for her.

"So, back where you were, as promised." The Doctor said, putting his hands into his pockets.

"This is it? Marianne?" Martha asked. "You're staying with him after.." She gulped. Marianne looked at the ground. The Doctor inhaled deeply.

"Yeah, we should probably... um.." He mumbled.

"I'm not going with you." Marianne told him. "Not if Martha's not there." Martha smiled at the girl, and looked at the Doctor who looked gobsmacked. Martha's phone began ringing, and the answering machine picked it up.

"Hi, I'm out! Leave a message!" A cheery Martha had recorded.

"I'm sorry." Martha frowned, pressing play on the message.

"Martha, are you there? Pick it up, will you?" Her mother asked.

"It's Mum, it'll wait." Martha assured them both.

"All right then, pretend that you're out if you like. I was only calling to tell you that your sister is on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested." Francine added into her message. Marianne handed Martha the TV remote and Martha turned on the TV.

"How could Tish end up on the news?" Martha asked. On the screen was an old man, looking as if he were in his 70's, holding a press conference with Tish stood behind him.

"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device..." The old man said.

"It's her new job. PR for a research lab." Marianne said. She knew a lot about the Jones family, having been Martha's best friend for a long, long time.

"...With the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human." The old man added. Martha shrugged and switched off the TV and turned back to a still gobsmacked Doctor.

"Sorry. You were saying we should-?" Martha said, with Marianne smirking a little, knowing the Doctor would have to investigate.

"Yes, yes, we should. One trip is what we said." The Doctor mumbled half heartedly.

"Yeah. I suppose things just kind of.. escalated." Martha replied.

"Mm. Seems to happen to me a lot." The Doctor said.

"Thank you. For everything." Martha said sincerely.

"It was my pleasure. Marianne." The Doctor said, nodding to her awkwardly. He sighed and walked into the TARDIS, leaving Martha and Marianne in her bedroom. Martha was in tears, but Marianne knew he wouldn't leave, especially with herself being left behind. Martha took a deep breath as the TARDIS dematerialised. She looked lost.

Marianne had barely counted to three when they heard the engines again. The TARDIS was back. Marianne smirked when the Doctor reappeared, only his head popping out from behind the doors.

"No, I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?"

The trio were walking down the street, the Doctor wearing a tuxedo and converse, Martha wearing a knee length black dress with satin on the neckline, and Marianne wearing a strapless, golden floor length dress, her blonde hair tumbling down in thick curls. The Doctor was fussing with the cuffs of his dress shirt, much to the amusement of Marianne.

"Oh, black tie. Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens." He grumbled.

"Oh, I don't know. It looks fetching." Marianne told him. The Doctor's mouth almost dropped in surprise, as did Martha's. She'd paid him a compliment? Although, Martha had to admit, he did look sort of beautiful.

"Um... Yeah. But I don't think that's the outfit, that's just you." She added. "But yeah, it suits you. In a James Bond kind of way."

"A fetching James Bond? Really?" He asked, quite approvingly. Martha chuckled as they approached the impressive entrance to Lazarus Laboratories. Inside the reception room, tons of guests were milling around. Dominating the room was a large white cabinet, surrounded by pillars.

The Doctor grinned as a waiter passed with hors d'oeuvres on a silver tray. He took one.

"Oh, look, they've got nibbles! I love nibbles!" He grinned happily.

"Doesn't take much to make you happy, does it?" Marianne asked dryly. He grinned down at her, and Martha noticed his eyes lingering on her curves slightly longer than they should. His attention moved onto Tish, however, when she walked over.

"Hello!" She exclaimed happily.

"Tish." Martha grinned. The two hugged, before Tish moved onto Marianne and hugged her.

"You both look great. So, what do you think? Impressive, isn't it?" Tish asked.

"Very." Marianne nodded, chuckling at her enthusiasm. Tish and Marianne were also very close.

"And two nights out in a row for you two- that's dangerously close to a social life." Tish joked.

"If we keep this up, we'll end up in all the gossip columns." Martha laughed.

"You might, actually. Keep an eye out for photographers, especially you Marianne. You're gold. And mum- she's coming too, even dragging Leo along with her." Tish said.

"Leo in a black tie?" Marianne laughed.

"This we must see." Martha agreed. Tish glanced behind them at the Doctor, who was smiling down at the girls.

"This us, Uh. The Doctor." Martha introduced awkwardly.

"Hello." The Doctor grinned, shaking Tish's hand.

"Is he with you?" Tish asked Martha.

"Yeah." Martha replied.

"With both of you?!" Tish exclaimed, wondering what the hell was going on.

"He's a friend." Marianne nodded.

"But he's not on the list. How did he get in?" Tish demanded.

"He's my plus one." Marianne told her. The Doctor nodded.

"So, this Lazarus bloke, he's your boss." The Doctor interrupted, getting bored.

"Professor Lazarus, yes. I'm part of his executive staff." Tish said proudly.

"She's in the PR department."

"I'm head of PR actually." Tish amended.

Martha smiled, happy for her sister. "You're joking?!"

"I put this whole thing together."

"So do you know what the professor's going to be doing tonight?" Marianne asked.

"That looks like it might be a sonic microfield manipulator." The Doctor added, pointing to the white cabinet thing.

"He's a Science geek. I should've known, Marianne. Gotta get back to work now. I'll catch up with you later." Tish said, winking at Marianne who frowned. Tish walked away and mingled with other guests.

"Science geek? What does that mean?" A confused Doctor asked.

"That you're obsessively enthusiastic about it." Marianne told him.

"Oh nice." The Doctor nodded.

"You both are, don't pretend like you're not, Marianne." Martha amended. Marianne shook her head. Marianne jumped when she felt someone lift her up by her hips slightly. Martha smiled and observed the Doctor look moodily at the floor. Marianne turned around to see Leo and Francine. Leo grinned and set her down.

"Leo!" Marianne laughed. Francine continued talking as if his son hadn't just lost interest in her rant.

"Your father's caused me enough heartache already with his menopause and his trophy girlfriend." Francine grumbled.

"Yeah, Mum, I know. It's just something he said last night." Leo replied. Francine turned and looked at Martha.

"Martha." She smiled. Martha looked at her Mum as if she hadn't seen her in years, decades even.

"Mum!" She exclaimed, hugging her tightly, much to Francine's amusement.

"Oh. All right, what's the occasion?" She laughed.

"What do you mean? I'm just pleased to see you, that's all." Martha replied.

"You saw me last night." Francine replied, confused.

"I know. I just... miss you. You're looking good, Leo." Martha smirked at her brother wearing a tuxedo.

"Yeah. If anyone asks me to fetch 'em a drink, I'll swing for him." Leo joked, and the Doctor's frown deepened when Marianne laughed at him. That's when Francine noticed him.

"You both disappeared last night." Francine said.

"We.. Just went home." Marianne assured her, unknowingly leaning on Leo slightly. Her relationship with Leo might look like something romantic, but it was purely as if they were family. Or best friends. One of the two.

"This is a friend of ours, the Doctor." Martha added.

"Doctor what?" Francine asked.

"It's just, the Doctor. We've been doing some work together." Marianne lied. Leo shook the Doctor's hand.

"Yeah, all right." He smiled at Leo, before shaking Francine's hand. "Lovely to meet you, Mrs Jones. Heard a lot about you."

"Have you? What have you heard, then?" Francine demanded. Marianne frowned at her hostility.

"Oh, you know. You're Martha's mother, and... um... No. Actually, that's... That's about it." The Doctor fumbled with his words. Marianne laughed awkwardly. "We haven't had much time to chat, you know, been busy."

"Busy? All three of you? Doing, what. Exactly?" Francine asked, thinking of something other than travelling...

"Oh... You know... Stuff." The Doctor shrugged. Marianne closed her eyes.

Their conversation was luckily cut short when a tapping on glass interrupted everyone's conversations. All eyes turned to the old man, Professor Lazarus.

"Ladies and gentlemen. I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I'm going to perform a miracle. I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you'll awake to a world which will be changed forever." Lazarus grinned. He entered the white cabinet. Two technicians started the machinery and a high pitched whir was emitted. A bright blue light shone from the machine, and the pillars began to each spin. They then began spinning around the cabinet, creating an energy field. A warning klaxon went off.

"Something's wrong. It's overloading." Marianne breathed as the pillar span faster and faster. The technicians ran to try and stop it, but panels exploded, sending off sparks and stopping them from moving closer to the machinery. The Doctor jumped over a desk and aimed his sonic at the controls.

"Somebody stop him! Get him away from those controls!" A lady cried.

"I don't think so!" Marianne called, standing behind him in case anyone tried to take him away.

"If this thing goes off, it'll take the whole building with it. Is that what you want?!" The Doctor demanded, pulling one of the mains wires from the cabinet and causing it to stop spinning. Martha ran to the door and the Doctor grabbed Marianne's hand (To try and help her run in her long dress) and joined her.

"Get it open!" The Doctor exclaimed. They opened the door and watched as, through the thick smoke, a younger Lazarus emerged, looking forty years younger. Photographers snapped away as they all looked on at him, amazed. Lazarus touched his face gingerly, realising that his invention worked. He stepped out from the machine, looking dazed.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I am Richard Lazarus. I am 76 years old, and I am reborn!" He exclaimed, holding his arms up as everyone clapped.

The trio used this opportunity of chaos to examine the machine.

"It can't be the same guy. It's impossible. It must be a trick." Martha insisted incredulously.

"Oh, it's not a trick." Marianne said.

"What just happened, then?" Martha demanded.

"He just changed what it means to be human." The Doctor breathed. They turned to look at him, and watched as he cracked his neck as if in immense pain. A waiter came by with a tray of 'nibbles' again, and Lazarus took the whole tray, shovelling them into his mouth. The woman stood by him looked disgusted.

"Richard!" She exclaimed.

"I'm famished." Lazarus defended.

"Energy deficit." Marianne breathed as she walked next to him. "Always happens with this kind of thing." She grinned.

"You speak as if you see this every day, Miss-" Lazarus said, looking her up and down and smiling at what he saw. She grimaced.

"Just Marianne." She told him.

"And she doesn't see this thing every day, but we have some experience in this kind of transformation." The Doctor added. "I'm the Doctor." He said, shaking his hand.

"That's not possible." Lazarus said, shaking his head.

"Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance. That's- That's inspired." The Doctor replied.

"You understand the theory, then." Lazarus said.

"Enough to know that you couldn't possibly have allowed for all the variables." Marianne nodded. "Yeah."

"No experiment is entirely without risk." Lazarus admitted, smiling at the girl.

"That thing nearly exploded. You might as well have stepped into a blender." The Doctor said.

"You're not qualified to comment." Lazarus snapped.

"If he hadn't have stopped it, it would have exploded!" Marianne exclaimed.

"Then I thank you, Doctor. But that's a simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less, I can assure you, miss Marianne."

"You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests." Martha spoke up. Lazarus laughed.

"Look at me! You can see what happened. I'm all the proof you need." He grinned.

"The device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially." The lady asked, the one who'd been stood with Lazarus before.

"Commercially?!" Martha asked. "You are joking. That'll cause chaos."

"Not chaos. Change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve." Lazarus amended. Marianne shook her head.

"This isn't about improving. It's about you and your customers living a little longer." She said.

"Not a little longer, dear Marianne, a lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely."

"Richard, we have things to discuss. Upstairs." The lady demanded, and she walked away.

"Goodbye Doctor, Marianne. In a few years you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were." He said, kissing the back of Marianne's hand before leaving.

"Ooh. He's out of his depth. No idea of the damage he might have done." The Doctor said quietly.

"So what do we do now?" Martha asked, turning back to face him.

"Well.. This building must be full of labs. I say we do our own tests." Marianne grinned.

"Lucky Marianne's collected a DNA sample then, isn't it?" Martha asked.

"Oh, Martha Jones, you're a star." The Doctor smiled, before leading the girls away.

They were all looking at the results of the DNA test on the computer.

"Amazing." The Doctor breathed with his glasses on.

"What?" Martha asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Lazarus's DNA." He replied. Marianne then looked over.

"I can't see anything different." Martha said.

"No, but look at it." Marianne said, watching as the image on the screen flickered.

"Oh, my God! Did that just change? But it can't have!" Martha cried, shocked.

"But it did." The Doctor replied dryly. Marianne moved slightly to the right and leaned on the desk, taking her heels off.

"It's impossible." Martha insisted.

"And that's two impossible things we've seen tonight." Marianne said.

"Don't you love it when that happens?" The Doctor grinned. Marianne smirked and shook her head.

"That means Lazarus has changed his own molecular patterns." Martha said, shaking her head.

"Hypersonic sound waves to destabilize the cell structure then a mutagenic program to manipulate the coding in the protein strands." The Doctor explained. Martha looked at Marianne with a confused look on her face.

"Basically, he hakced into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate." She said.

"But they're still mutating now." Martha said, pointing at the screen.

"'Cause he missed something. Something in his DNA has been activated and won't let him stabilize. Something that's trying to change him." The Doctor said, running a hand through his hair.

"Change him into what?" Martha asked.

"I dunno but I think we need to find out." The Doctor replied.

"That woman said they were going upstairs." Marianne noted.

"Let's go!" The Doctor exclaimed, being the first to leave the lab.

Back at the reception, Francine saw Tish and called her over. Tish's good mood darkened when she saw her Mother's worried face.

"Tish! Have you seen Martha, Marianne and that Doctor anywhere?" She asked.

"Not since the demonstration." Tish shrugged.

"Do you know anything about him? Have they ever mentioned him before?" Francine demanded.

"Not to me."

"The way Marianne followed him..." Francine muttered.

"They're doctors. They're just doing their job." Tish retorted, shaking her head.

"They're not doctors yet. Never will be, especially Marianne. Not if she doesn't stay focused. You know I think of that girl like my own child."

"Look, she's found a bloke. So what?" Leo asked.

"There's something going on, Leo. I can feel it." Francine said.

The lift nearby opened and Lazarus stepped out, cracking his neck as if setting it in place. He walked over to Tish and set a hand on her shoulder.

"Leticia Jones. I'd recognise the smell of that soap anywhere." He said. Tish smiled demurely and turned to her boss.

"Professor."

"I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, you'll have to excuse me while I take care of Leticia here. I've been neglecting her." He said, leading her away. Leo and Francine watched, concern in their eyes.

"This is his office alright." Martha said as Marianne switched on the lights.

"So, where is he?" The Doctor asked, looking around Lazarus's crowded and cluttered office.

"Dunno. LEt's try back at the re...ception." Marianne muttered upon seeing skeletal bones wearing high heels. She rushed over to see the lady from before.. Desiccated.

"Is that Lady Thaw?" Martha asked.

"Used to be." Marianne said bitterly. "Now it's just a shell."

"She's had all the lift drained out of her. Like squeezing the juice out of an orange." The Doctor added.

"Lazarus." Martha stated.

"Could be." The Doctor nodded.

"So he's changed already then." Marianne said.

"Not necessarily. You saw the DNA. It was fluctuating. The process must demand energy. This might now have been enough." The Doctor explained. She nodded.

"So he might do this again?" Martha asked, in horror. They all looked at each other before dashing back to the lifts, Marianne still carrying her golden shoes. The moment their lift took them down, Lazarus and Tish walked out into the office.

"You seem very young to have such a responsible position. Have you much experience?" Lazarus asked.

"Not really." Tish replied. "But the interview panel thought I had all the necessary attributes."

"How perceptive of them." Lazarus grinned. Tish chuckled.

"So where are you taking me?"

"Up to the roof. It's a lovely evening. I thought I'd show you the view. It's extraordinary."

"Like a lot of things around here, then." Tish said. Lazarus motioned for her to go ahead. While she walked away, he cracked his neck and followed.

Back at the reception, the trio were looking for Lazarus eagerly.

"I can't see him." Martha said, straining her neck.

"He can't be far. Keep looking." Marianne said. The Doctor walked on. Leo walked over to the girls.

"Hey, are you both all right? I think Mum wants to talk to you."

"Have you seen Lazarus?" Marianne asked.

"Yeah. He was getting cozy with Tish a couple of minutes ago." Leo shrugged. The Doctor and Francine both walked over.

"With Tish?!" A horrified Martha exclaimed.

"Ah, Doctor." Francine said dangerously.

"Where did they go?" Marianne asked.

"Upstairs, I think. Why?" Leo asked, turning to look for Marianne, only noticing that she'd already dashed off for the lift. "Why's she holding her shoes?"

"I don't know." Martha said, before dashing off.

"Doctor-" Francine began, but he'd also rushed away, spilling Francine's drink in the meantime. "I'm speaking to you!"

By the time the Doctor and Martha reached the lifts, Marianne had already gone in one and left. Francine had also rushed over.

"Not now, Mum!" Martha exclaimed. Francine frowned and went to get napkins to wipe her drink off her dress.

"I think you need one of these." A man said, handing her a glass of champagne.

"Thank you. That's very kind of you." Francine said.

"Do you know that man?" The man asked, pointing to the Doctor.

"No. He's a friend of my daughter's."

"Perhaps she should choose her friends more carefully." He said, before walking off.

When Marianne stepped out of the lift into Lazarus's office, again there was nobody there. She looked around to find some stairs leading to the roof, she assumed.

"He can't have taken her there." She mumbled, dropping her shoes and cautiously making her way up them.

About two minutes later, Martha and the Doctor both dashed out the lift.

"Where are they?" Martha demanded. The Doctor took out his sonic.

"Fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signature. I might be able to pick it up." The Doctor replied, holding the sonic out and slowly turning in a circle.

"Got him." He said.

"Where?"

The Doctor pointed the sonic at the ceiling.

"But this is the top floor! The roof!" Martha exclaimed, and they both ran for the stairs.

"Oh, my God. Doctor. Marianne's shoes." Martha said before they got there, picking them up. The Doctor closed his eyes, thinking the worst, and continued running.

On the roof, Lazarus and Tish were looking out over London, with Marianne standing a little behind them.

"The clock tower's beautiful all lit up like that." Tish smiled.

"It's Southwark Cathedral. One of the oldest churches in London. Been around longer than I have." Lazarus smiled back.

"Well, you're looking good for your age."

"Thank you." Lazarus grinned.

"Can I?" Tish asked, tentatively reaching her hand out. Lazarus nodded and Tish ran the back of her hand along Lazarus's cheek, quickly turning it into a caress.

"Still can't take it in." She laughed gently.

"I'm still adjusting myself. I've been working toward it for too many years, it's hard to believe the moment's finally arrived."

"And is it like you expected?" Marianne called, stepping out of the shadows. Lazarus turned and grinned when he saw her, looking ethereal in the moon light, her golden curls and golden dress making her look incredibly beautiful.

"I find that nothing's ever exactly like you expect." He grinned, walking slowly over to her. "There's always something to surprise you." He said, his face dangerously close to her neck. "Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act-" He quoted.

"Falls the shadow." The Doctor said darkly from the top of the staircase, not liking seeing Lazarus standing near Marianne like that. He turned, shooting a hand out and grabbing Marianne's to keep her there.

"So the mysterious Doctor knows his Eliot. I'm impressed." Lazarus grinned.

"Martha, what are you doing here? And you Marianne?" Tish demanded angrily.

"Tish, get away from him." Martha exclaimed.

"What? Don't tell me what to do." Tish shouted.

"I wouldn't have thought you had time for poetry, Lazarus, what with you being busy defying the laws of nature and all." The Doctor said, noticing that Lazarus's grip had gone from Marianne's hand to her wrist. He wasn't bothered by that, he was just thankful she was still alive.

"You're right, Doctor. One lifetime's been too short for me to do everything I like. How much more would I get done on two or three or four?"

"Doesn't work like that. Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not the time that matters, it's the person." The Doctor said.

"But if it's the right person, what a gift that would be." Lazarus retorted, keeping a firm grip on Marianne.

"Or a curse." She said. "Look at what you've done to yourself."

"Who are you to judge me?" Lazarus demanded, his mouth near her neck again.

"Over here, Tish." Martha said desperately. Tish walked over, angrily.

"You have to spoil everything, don't you? Every time I find someone nice, you have to go and find a faut." Tish spat.

Marianne flinched as the grip on her wrist tightened, as Lazarus was having an attack of sorts.

"Tish, he's a monster!" Martha exclaimed.

"I know the age thing's a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones." Tish retorted. Marianne yelped as Lazarus growled. Tish turned to look, only to find a cross between a sort of skeletal human and a scorpion mixture. It reared up, and Marianne squeezed her eyes shut, thinking it was going to kill her.


	12. Chapter 12

The Doctor dodged forwards, wrapped an arm around Marianne's waist and dragged her away- half carrying her to the stairs to the building whilst yelling "Run!" The rest of the group, except Lazarus of course, pegged it down the stairs and back into Lazarus's office. The Doctor sonicked the door behind him. Martha called a lift quickly.

"Are you okay?" Martha asked Tish, who looked distraught. The Doctor, in the mean time, had his hand around Marianne's waist still, trying to stop her shaking.

"I was gonna snog him." Tish said shakily. Lazarus banged on the door, alerting the building's security. Sirens wailed and warning signs came over the PA.

"What's happening?" Martha asked.

"Uh, an intrusion." Tish explained. "It triggers a security lock down. Kills most of the power. Stops the lift. Seals the exits." She said quickly.

"He must be breaking through the door." Marianne noted.

"The stairs, come on!" The Doctor exclaimed, launching off to the staircase, dropping his hand from Marianne. They all followed and rushed down the stairs, only to hear Lazarus crash the door to his office with some force.

"He's inside!" Martha exclaimed.

"Haven't got much time!" The Doctor retorted. When they finally got back to the reception room, they looked around frantically, panting and looking ruffled up.

"Tish! Is there another way out of here?" The Doctor asked.

"There's an exit in the corner, but it'll be locked now." She replied. The Doctor tossed his sonic to Martha.

"Martha, setting 54. Hurry." He said, and Martha rushed off followed by her sister. The Doctor jumped on the platform in front of Lazarus's machine, with Marianne looking up at him from below.

"Listen to me! Your people are in danger! You need to get out of here right now!" He shouted loudly.

"Don't be ridiculous. The biggest danger here is choking on an olive." A woman sneered.

"No, the biggest danger you now have is me shoving the olive down your throat quite roughly if you don't listen to him." Marianne shouted at her. The woman gulped. "Well, actually. He's right. It's worse than that." She amended. Glass abruptly shattered as Lazarus appeared on the landing before stepping into the reception room. Martha and Tish sprinted to open the exit doors as everyone sprinted to the doors.

Martha finally opened the door and shoved people out. "Over here! This way! Everyone downstairs now! Hurry!"

Lazarus closed in on the olive lady as she just stood looking up at him.

"No! Get away from her!" The Doctor shouted. The woman screamed as she was sucked dry before her remains fell to the floor. Marianne flinched as the dust rose. "Lazarus! Leave them alone!"

"What's the point if you can't control it? The mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help you." Marianne called to the monster.

"You're a fool, a vain old man who thought he could defy nature. Only nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure!" The Doctor snarled. The Doctor grabbed Marianne's hand and pulled them down the reception hall and through the corridors, with Lazarus following behind.

They both ran into a service hall filled with all sorts of pipes. They both crept through quietly.

"It's no good, Doctor. You can't stop me. And you can't stop me taking your pretty play thing either." Lazarus hissed. Marianne shook her head.

"Is that the same arrogance you had when you swore nothing had gone wrong with your device?" The Doctor demanded.

"The arrogance is yours. You can't stand in the way of progress." Lazarus retorted.

"You call feeding on innocent people progress?" The Doctor demanded.

"It's a necessary sacrifice. But I'm sure dear Marianne won't mind me taking her, if it means the others can go free, will you dear Marianne?" Lazarus asked. The sad thing was, the Doctor knew it was true. She'd willingly go to her death if it meant others could be saved.

"Yes." She said quietly after a long silence.

"Well, that's not going to happen. It's not your decision to make." The Doctor shouted. The power soon turned back on, the lights in the service hall flashed back on. The Doctor and Marianne were no longer hidden.

"Peek-a-boo." Lazarus snarled. They both looked up to see Lazarus on the ceiling.

"Oh, hello." Marianne muttered. They both sprinted from the room at the exact same time. This time they entered a lab. The Doctor fiddled with the battery light fixture, leaving wires exposed. Marianne, however, turned on all the gas jets. They both ducked when they heard Lazarus.

"More hide-and-seek, Doctor? How disappointing. You can't hide her forever. Why don't you come out and face me?" Lazarus asked.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" Marianne asked pettily, standing up. "Why would he wanna look at that?" She grinned before grabbing the Doctor's hand and pulling him out the room, flicking a switch as she did so, causing the room to explode. The Doctor grinned at the running golden girl in awe. As they ran, they came across a running Martha.

"What are you doing here?" The Doctor asked.

"I'm returning this." Martha said, handing him his sonic. "Thought you might need it."

"How did you-?" The Doctor asked, pocketing his sonic.

"I heard the explosion. Guessed it was you." She smiled.

"It was Marianne actually. She blasted Lazarus." He grinned.

"Did you kill him?" Martha asked Marianne. She shrugged, before hearing Lazarus crashing down the hall.

"Probably antagonized him actually. Bit like a wasp." She winced. They all looked at each other before running back through the halls, to end up back in the reception room.

"What now? We've just gone 'round in a circle!" Martha exclaimed. Lazarus crashed into the room and the Doctor headed for his device.

"We can't lead him outside. Come on, get in." The Doctor said, pushing Marianne in by her back and then letting Martha in before climbing in himself. He and Marianne were pushed together face to face while Martha had her back to Marianne's.

"Are we hiding?" Martha hissed.

"No, he knows we're here. But this is his masterpiece. I'm betting he won't destroy it, not even to get at us." The Doctor reasoned.

"But wer'e trapped." Marianne hissed.

"Well, yeah, that's a slight problem." He admitted. Marianne gritted her teeth.

"Once again, you don't have a plan?" Marianne demanded.

"Yes, the plan was to get inside here actually!" He hissed back angrily.

"Then what?" Martha asked calmly.

"Well... then I'd come up with another plan."

"In your own time, then." Martha rolled her eyes sarcastically. The Doctor tried to reach his pocket to get his sonic, but was having a hard time doing so.

"Hey!" Marianne squeaked as his hand brushed her.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." He said. She sighed and shoved her hand into his pocket, grabbing the sonic and handing it to him. "Thanks." He whispered loudly.

"He does know we're in here, you know? You don't have to whisper." Marianne reminded him dryly.

"What're you doing?" Martha asked, not being able to see what was going on.

"I've got the sonic and now I'm gonna improvise." The Doctor grinned. The Doctor shimmied his way down slowly to the floor and used the sonic to open a panel.

"Good job I've got a long dress on." Marianne rolled her eyes, shifting her feet a bit as he shoved them.

"I still don't understand where that thing came from, is it alien?" Martha asked, regarding Lazarus.

"No, for once it's entirely human in origin." Marianne said, uncomfortable at the Doctor leaned against her legs.

"Human? How can it be human?" Martha asked.

"Probably from dormant genes in Lazarus's DNA. The energy field in this thing must have reactivated then. And it looks like they're becoming dominant." The Doctor explained.

"So it's a throwback."

"Some option that evolution rejected for you millions of years ago, but the potential is still there." The Doctor said.

"Yeah, locked away in your genes, forgotten about until Lazarus unlocked it." Marianne added. The Doctor continued to work on the wires. "It's like Pandora's box."

"Exactly. You smell nice, by the way." The Doctor said, unknowingly making her blush quite deeply.

_This love hate relationship is getting old, _Martha thought. She stopped mid thought, however, when a blue light lit up the pod.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Martha asked.

"Sounds like he's switched on the machine." The Doctor said.

"That's not good, is it?" Martha asked, looking around wildly, not wanting to turn into one of those Lazarus things.

"Well, I was hoping it was gonna take him a little bit longer to work that out." The Doctor flinched. They heard the pillars begin to spin, and even Marianne felt a lurch in her stomach at the thought.

"I don't want to hurry you, but-" Marianne began, clenching her toes.

"I know, I know. I'm nearly done." The Doctor said.

"What're you even doing?" Martha demanded.

"Trying to set the capsule to reflect energy rather than receive it."

"Will that kill him?"

"When he transforms, he's three times the size, cellular triplication, so he's spreading himself thin." Marianne said.

"We're gonna end up like him!" Martha moaned. This didn't make Marianne's nerves improve.

"Just one more!" The Doctor assured them both, upon feeling Marianne tense up. The Doctor pulled a wire and the energy field changed, moving out the capsule and knocking Lazarus away. The Doctor jumped up and opened the door, both he and Marianne almost falling out with Martha walking calmly out.

"I thought we were gonna go through the blender then." Martha sighed with relief.

"Really shouldn't take that long to reverse the polarity. I must be a bit out of practice." The Doctor said, straightening his shirt. They looked down to find a naked, unconscious Lazarus on the floor.

"Oh God. He seems so.. Human again. It's kind of pitiful." Marianne sighed, bending down and brushing some of his hair out of his eyes.

"Eliot saw that too, 'This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper.'" He quoted.

The medical services came and took the body away in a gurney. Martha, Marianne and the Doctor watched from outside the lab. The Doctor had donated his jacket to Marianne, who'd been shivering.

He was definitely still angry at her, though. Oh yes. Although for what he wasn't quite sure.

"She's here, oh they both are. They're all right." Tish smiled, hugging her sister.

"Ah, Mrs Jones, we still haven't finished our chat." The Doctor smiled as Francine walked over. Marianne burst out laughing when she slapped the Doctor.

"Keep away from my daughters."

"Mum, what are you doing?" Martha demanded. The Doctor looked shocked and put a hand to the red mark on his cheek.

"All their mothers, every time." He groaned.

"He is dangerous! I've been told things." Francine hissed.

"What are you talking about?" Martha asked. Francine took her daughter by the shoulders.

"Look around you! Nothing but death and destruction!"

"This isn't his fault. He saved us, all of us!"

"It was Tish who invited everyone to this thing in the first place. I'd say, technically, it's her fault." Leo added. Marianne grinned. Tish elbowed her brother in his ribs. There was a loud crash from behind and the Doctor and Marianne looked at each other before sprinting away, Marianne still in the Doctor's jacket, still barefoot, and still carrying her shoes. Martha went to follow but Francine held her back.

"Leave him." She instructed. Martha shook her head and ran after them. Tish looked at her mother, before nodding and running to catch up too.

She caught up with them all stood near an ambulance, the doors open and the medical staff merely skeletal remains.

"Lazarus, back from the dead." Marianne said dryly. The Doctor took out his sonic and used it to try and find him, like he'd done earlier.

"Where's he gone then?" Martha asked.

"That way. The church." The Doctor said, pointing to a church.

"Cathedral." Tish corrected. "It's Southwark Cathedral. He told me."

Inside the gloomy cathedral, they all looked around with disdain. The Doctor led the way with his sonic still in front of him.

"Do you think he's in here?" Martha asked.

"Where would you go if you were looking for sanctuary?" Marianne asked. They moved towards the empty cathedral and into the empty space underneath the bell tower. Lazarus was sat there, gasping, shrouded in a red blanket.

"He's in shock. See. He's got a blanket." Marianne said, pointing.

"I came here before. A lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat there, just a child, the sound of planes and bombs outside." Lazarus said, his eyes looking haunted.

"The Blitz." The Doctor said.

"You've read about it." Lazarus nodded.

"I was there." The Doctor corrected.

"You're too young." Lazarus scoffed, earning a small smile from Marianne.

"So are you." She grinned. Lazarus laughed but it turned into a gasp of pain as he tried to fight the mutation.

"In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again." He choked. The Doctor walked around Lazarus slowly, looking up at the bell tower. "So defenceless. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it." He added.

"That's what you were trying to do today." The Doctor said gently.

"That's what I did today." Lazarus corrected.

"What about the other people that you killed?" Marianne demanded harshly.

"They were nothing. I changed the course of history." Lazarus rasped.

"Any of them might have done, too." Marianne suggested. "You think history's only made with equations? Facing death is part of being human. You can't change that."

"No, Marianne. Avoiding death. That's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fibre of being. I'm doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more.. Successful."

Lazarus then groaned in pain as his body tried to change.

"Look at yourself! You're mutating! You've no control over it! You call that a success?" The Doctor demanded.

"I call it progress. I'm more now that I was. More than just an ordinary human." Lazarus grinned through pain.

"There's no such thing as an ordinary human." Marianne said, looking slightly to her left and smiling at her best friend.

"He's gonna change any minute." Martha whispered to the Doctor.

"I know." He whispered back. "If I can get him up into the bell tower somehow, I've got an idea that might work."

"Up there?" Martha whispered. He nodded at her.

"You're so sentimental, Doctor. Maybe you are older than you look." Lazarus mused.

"I'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one. In the end, you just get tired. You make mistakes.. Dreadful mistakes." The Doctor began, sincerely, his eyes flashing to Marianne for a moment. "Tired of the struggle. Tired of losing everything that matters to you. Tired of watching everything turn to dust." He knelt down beside Lazarus. "If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you end up alone. You'll say something, or do something, and your best friend will leave you forever. And your life will never be the same."

Marianne gulped.

"That's a price worth paying." Lazarus wheezed.

"Is it?" The Doctor asked gently. Lazarus convulsed in pain.

"I will feed on her soon." Lazarus said, looking up at Marianne.

"I'm not gonna let that happen." The Doctor insisted dangerously.

"Oh, really? Like you could stop me." Lazarus spat. Martha walked behind Lazarus.

"Leave her, Lazarus! She's old. As old as him. Thought you had a taste for fresher meat." Martha exclaimed.

"Martha, no." Marianne warned, knowing what she was doing. Lazarus growled and chased after Martha, with Tish running away with her.

"Doctor! The tower!" The two heard her call. They vaguely heard Lazarus scream as he followed.

"He's changed." Marianne said quietly, not knowing what to say after his speech. The Doctor looked around for them.

"Where are they? Martha?!" He called, looking up, knowing that he'd be able to see her. Martha peered out from one of the archways in the upper level. Marianne gritted her teeth.

"Marianne!" She called.

"Take him to the top, the very top of the bell tower, d'you hear me?!" The Doctor called.

"No?! Why are you telling her to do that? It's a death trap!" Marianne shouted at him. The Doctor ignored her and walked to a large pipe organ and sat on the bench that accompanied it. He pulled out his sonic.

"Hypersonic sound waves. Inspired." He grinned at her, to be received with a steely glare. He jammed the sonic into the organ and began to play, emitting a high pitched and awfully loud sound. They heard a loud bang, to which Marianne assumed was Lazarus falling over. She sat on top of the organ and bashed it with her feet, adding to the noise. They both played more frantically, Marianne using her heels to add to the noise also.

"This isn't good enough." She hissed, still angry. He nodded.

"We need to turn this up to 11." He pulled the sonic out, reset the volume and put it back in. It was even louder.

Marianne shrieked when a large bang shook the ground near her. Lazarus had fallen to the ground. She jumped up from her seat and looked down at the now naked, and human Lazarus.

"Martha?" She shrieked, turning to the steps to try and find her and make sure she and Tish were okay. "Tish?!"

"I'm okay! We're both okay!" She called. Marianne grinned and sighed with relief.

The Doctor and Marianne both walked over to Lazarus. She reached out and closed his eyes, forcing it to turn into the old man he really should be. The Doctor stood, rushed to the stairs and hugged the shaky Martha. Marianne walked over and then hugged Tish, then Martha.

"I didn't know you could play?" Martha smirked.

"Oh, well, you know. If you hang around with Beethoven, you're bound to pick up a few things. Plus, Marianne was playing it with her feet and shoes. Quite the experts." The Doctor grinned.

Marianne rolled her eyes and looked down at her now broken, heelless shoes. She let them fall to the ground. They'd saved her life.

"Well, you did both play extremely loud." Martha grinned. The Doctor leaned forwards as if he didn't hear her.

"Sorry?" He asked, causing Martha to laugh. He then turned to see what Marianne was doing, to find her unpinning her hair that she'd tied up halfway through the night. The bedraggled curls fell down her back as she sighed.

_She's tired_, the Doctor thought.

Martha and the Doctor were stood in front of the TARDIS at Martha's flat.

"Something else that just kind of escalated, then." The Doctor shrugged, awkwardly.

"I can see a pattern developing. You should take more care in the future, now you've not got me and Marianne." Martha said, looking at her bed where Marianne was sat, looking saddened by something.

"It's good fun, though, isn't it?" The Doctor grinned.

"Yeah." Martha nodded.

"So, what d'you say? One more trip?" The Doctor winked. Marianne smirked through her apparent thoughtfulness.

"No. Sorry." Martha said.

"What do you mean? I thought you liked it." The Doctor said, looking hurt.

"I do, but I can't go on like this, 'one more trip', it's not fair." Martha reasoned. Marianne nodded. She understood.

"What're you talking about?" The Doctor demanded.

"Look, she doesn't just want to be a passenger. Someone you take a long for a pity treat." Marianne snapped.

"Yeah. She's right. If that's how you see me, I'd rather stay here." Martha nodded bravely.

"Okay, then. If that's what you want." The Doctor nodded.

"Right. But we've already said goodbye once today so it's really best if you just go." Martha sighed, walking away from the TARDIS. The Doctor watched as Marianne nodded, closed her eyes and sunk into the bed.

When Martha didn't hear anything, she looked behind her shoulder.

"What is it?"

"What? I said okay." The Doctor smirked.

"Sorry?" Martha asked, confused.

"Okay." He repeated. Marianne groaned somewhat and sat back up.

The Doctor nodded his head at the TARDIS. "Oh, thank you! Thank you!" Martha exclaimed, hugging him and laughing.

"Well, you were never really just a passenger were you?" The Doctor asked. His eyes turned to Marianne. "Come on." He said, knowing she'd follow.

"I suppose I can't leave her alone with you. God knows what you might do." Marianne said, picking her dress up slightly to walk into the TARDIS. She then collapsed on the jumpseat and watched as a happy Martha ignored her ringing phone.

"Hi, I'm out! Leave a message!" Martha's answering machine rang.

"Martha, it's your mother. Please, phone me back. I'm begging you. I know who this Doctor really is. I know he's dangerous. You're gonna get yourself killed. Please, trust me. This information comes from Harold Saxon himself." Francine said, sounding as if on the verge of tears.

That evening, Marianne and Martha had finally been allocated permanent bedrooms.

Martha knocked on Marianne's bedroom door, which was slowly opened by a red eyed Marianne.

"Oh, my God. What's wrong?" Martha demanded, walking into the room, pulling Marianne along and sitting them both on the bed.

"Nothing. It's just... Did you hear what he said? The Doctor? He said his life hasn't been the same since he left." She choked. Martha was confused. She put an arm around the girl.

"Elaborate." She said.

"I don't like the thought of me having a huge impact on his life like that. My life hasn't been the same but he was always so brilliant.. I don't like the idea of him being saddened.. or him feeling like his life has been ruined. I don't like it." Marianne sighed. Martha smiled.

"But do you not see what being around him now is doing to him? He's just lost that friend of his, Rose. He's hurting more than before right now. And as soon as he met you again, he turned brighter. Happier. So don't worry about it." Martha assured her. "Now, I'm going to make a brew, do you want one?" She asked.

"Yes please." Marianne smiled.

While Martha was gone, the Doctor popped his head around the door. "Are you okay? You seemed tired or upset before?" He asked. Marianne's gaze turned steely, but anyone could have seen the hidden love there. Everyone except the Doctor, obviously.

"I'm fine." She said. The Doctor smiled a strained smile before leaving. Marianne sighed and leaned back into her bed. The Doctor poked his head back around the door seconds later.

"No, sorry. But you're not. I can feel it." He said, before walking in. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She insisted. But one look of the Doctor and she crumbled.

"Have I ruined your life?" She asked quietly. The Doctor laughed.

"What?"

"You heard."

"No. You've made it better." He said, kissing her on the forehead and standing back up. "Stop being silly." He told her. She smiled as he left.

She was completely oblivious to the fact that the Doctor now had a grin on his face for the rest of the night because of the small, insignificant kiss.


	13. Chapter 13

Inside the TARDIS, Marianne had stolen the Doctor's sonic without him knowing and was scanning Martha's mobile phone.

"Universal roaming. You won't have to worry about signal now." She grinned, holding out the sonic to the Doctor as he walked into the room. He looked confused and patted his pockets, realising it had indeed gone. He frowned and snatched it back. Marianne threw the phone back to Martha who grinned as she caught it.

The Doctor walked to the console and began pressing random buttons.

"No way! But it's... too mad! You're telling me I can call anyone, anywhere in Space and Time on my mobile?" Martha asked, grinning.

"As long as you know the area code." Marianne nodded. "Try it." She urged. Martha laughed before beginning to dial a number. She was stopped however when the TARDIS jolted, throwing them all to the ground. Marianne looked up to see the console flashing red.

"Distress signal!" She shouted. The Doctor looked up too.

"We're locking on!" He exclaimed, using his foot to activate a switch on the console. "Might be a bit off..." He said, before being cut off by another violent jolt. When everything was still again, the Doctor sat up. "Turbulence. Sorry!" He finished, running to the doors. He looked back at Marianne and Martha who were both still struggling to their feet. "Come on! Let's take a look!" He urged, practically buzzing with excitement. The girls rolled their eyes and ran after him. The TARDIS had landed in what seemed to be an engine room, which glowed red from the incredible heat.

"Whoa! Now that is hot!" The Doctor exclaimed, walking out of the TARDIS. When Marianne stepped out she whistled through her teeth and took her jacket off.

"Whoa! It's like a sauna in here!" Martha complained, following them both into the engine room. She also took her jacket off. The Doctor and Marianne both went to inspect the machinerty.

"Venting systems. Working at full pelt. Trying to cool down. Uh, wherever it is we are. Well! If you can't stand the heat..." The Doctor said, walking towards a heavy duty door and walking through. "Well, that's better."

Three people began running towards him, two men and a woman. They all looked incredibly boiling hot.

"Oi! You three!" One of the men shouted angrily.

"Get out of there!" The woman added.

"Seal that door! Now!" The man demanded. The Doctor looked stunned and somewhat confused. The two men sealed the door, just as Martha and Marianne stepped out.

"Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?" The woman asked.

"Are you police?"

"Why would we be police?" Marianne frowned.

"We got your distress signal." Martha added, trying not to sound as harsh as Marianne.

"If this is a ship, why can't I hear any engines?" The Doctor asked.

"It went dead four minutes ago." The woman captain explained.

"So maybe we could stop chatting and get to engineering. Captain." The other man spoke up for the first time.

"Secure closure active." The computer said in a robotic voice.

"What?!" The captain exclaimed, as she heard a loud clanging sound behind her. She looked around.

"The ship's gone mad."

As they all turned, they saw another woman running down the corridor towards them.

"Who activated secure closure? I nearly got locked in area 27." She breathed heavily. "Who are you?" She demanded, looking at Martha, Marianne and the Doctor.

"He's the Doctor, she's Marianne and I'm Martha. Hello." Martha said, sounding somewhat distracted. She walkd forwards, looking as if she were possessed.

"Impact projection: 42 minutes." The computer said. Martha continued walking, heading towards a small window with golden light pouring through.

"We'll get out of this, I promise." The captain sighed.

"Doctor..." Martha said shakily.

"Forty two minutes til what?" The Doctor demanded.

"Doctor! Look!" Martha exclaimed, almost screaming, her face pressed against the window. The Doctor and Marianne both ran over and looked out the window. They were in a spaceship, too close to the sun than they should have been. The ship was hurtling towards the sun, actually.

"Forty two minutes until we crash into the sun." The captain said defeatedly. The Doctor ran from the window to the Captain and grabbed her arm.

"How many crew members on board?" He asked.

"Seven, including us." The captain nodded seriously.

"We transport cargo across the galaxy. Everything's automated. We just keep the ship..." One of the men said.

"Call the others, I'll get you out!" The Doctor exclaimed, rushing back to the door where he'd left the TARDIS. The crew members rushed to stop him.

"What's he doing?!"

"No! Don't!"

It was too late. The Doctor opened the door . The force in the room was too strong due to the heat that it knocked the Doctor backwards and onto the floor. Marianne rushed to his side and bent down. A crew member shut the door in breathing apparatus.

"But our ship's in there!" Marianne exclaimed.

"In the vent chamber?" The younger man asked. The crew member took off her breathing apparatus and began reading the gauges by the door.

"It's our lifeboat!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"It's lava." The older man said.

"The temperature's going mad in there! Up 3000 degrees in ten seconds, and still rising." The lady by the door said.

"Channelling the air. The closer we get to the sun, the hotter that room's gonna get." The young man said, sounding scared.

"We're stuck here." Martha stated dryly.

"So? We fix the engines, we steer the ship away from the sun! Simple! Engineery down here, is it?" The Doctor asked, running down a corridor. Marianne followed. The whole crew and Martha followed, coming to a stop when they saw the Doctor looking on, bemused.

"Blimey! Do you always leave things in such a mess?" He asked.

"Oh my God!" The captain exclaimed, utterly shocked.

"What the hell happened?" The older man shouted. The engine was wrecked. Wires, springs and casing were all over the place, spilling onto the floor. The engine itself was steaming hot. Everyone walked around the room, surveying the damage.

"It's wrecked." Marianne said, reaching out to touch the engine, only to recoil her hand when she felt the heat radiating from it.

"Pretty efficiently too. Someone knew what they were doing." The Doctor said, wandering over to the computer terminal.

"Where's Korwin? Has anyone heard from him or Ashton?" The captain asked, looking around for them.

"No."

"You mean someone did this on purpose?" Martha asked, gobsmacked. The captain rushed over to an intercom.

"Korwin? Ashton? Where are you?" She demanded. No answer. "Korwin, can you answer?!" Still no answer. She sighed and walked away from the intercom. "Where the hell is he? He should be up here!"

The Doctor was scanning through the computer while the crew rushed around, trying to find Korwin and trying to repair their ship. The Doctor put his glasses on.

"Oh! We're in the Torajji system! Lovely!" He exclaimed happily. "You're a long way from home, Martha."

"Half a universe away." Marianne agreed. He left the terminal.

"Yeah. Feels it." Martha said sarcastically.

"And yet you're still using energy scoops for fusion? Hasn't that been outlawed yet?" The Doctor asked, watching as the crew looked around guiltily.

"We're due to upgrade next docking." The Captain insisted. Marianne rolled her eyes and leaned against a pillar. "Scannell, engine report."

The older man, Scannell, walked to the computer terminal, scanning whilst everyone anxiously watched. The machine beeped various times.

"No response." Scannell said, running to the wrecked engine.

"What?!" The Captain demanded.

"They're burnt out. The controls are wrecked. I can't get them back online." Scannell said, examining some of the wires coming off the engine.

"What about Auxiliary engines? Every craft's got auxiliaries!" Marianne exclaimed.

"We don't have access from here. The auxiliary controls are in the front of the ship." The captain sighed.

"Yeah, with 29 password sealed doors between us and them. You'll never get there in time." Scannell added.

"Can't you override the doors?" Martha asked, looking put out.

"No. Sealed closure means what it says. They're all dead locked sealed." Scannell shook his head.

"Stupid." Marianne muttered, walking to the doors and looking at the locking system.

"So a sonic screwdriver's no use..." The Doctor said, disappointed that he wouldn't be able to show off and quickly get the doors open.

"Nothing's any use. We've got no engines, no time and no chance." Scannell said miserably.

"No! I'm not having that. Nobody talks like that in front of me. Who's got the door passwords?" Marianne asked, turning from looking at the lock to facing the crew.

"They're randomly generated. Reckon I know most of 'em. Sorry. Riley Vashtee." Riley introduced.

"Then what're you waiting for, Riley Vashtee, get on it." Marianne smirked. He smirked back.

"It is a two person job." Riley said, as if suggesting something by looking at Marianne. He walked to pick up a huge magnetic clamp and backpack. "One, it takes to answer the questions, and the other to carry this. The oldest and cheapest security system around, eh Captain?" Riley asked, smirking at his boss.

"Reliable and simple, just like you, eh Riley?" The Captain grinned cheekily.

"Try and be helpful, get abuse. Nice!" Riley laughed. Marianne ignored Riley's request and Martha volunteered instead.

She took the clamp from Riley's hand. "I'll help you. Make myself useful." She grinned. Riley smiled back.

"It's remotely controlled by computer panels. That's why it needs two." He explained, turning and heading away from the group. Martha went to follow him.

"Oi." The Doctor said seriously. She turned around. "Be careful." He told her. She nodded and followed Riley, with a wave for Marianne as she left. They all turned when they heard a deep male voice over the intercom.

"McDonnell? It's Ashton."

The captain, now revealed to be McDonnell, rushed over to the comm. "Where are you? Is Korwin with you?" She asked desperately.

"Get up to the med-centre now!" Ashton demanded, his voice deadly serious. McDonnell visibly gulped. She left the intercom and sprinted away, with the Doctor and Marianne following close behind.

"Impact in 34.31." The computer reminded them. Marianne gritted her teeth. When they reached the med-centre, they watched as Korwin thrashed around in agony on a small, metal framed bed, his eyes tightly squeezed shut. A man whom Marianne presumed to be Ashton and another woman were trying to restrain him.

"Arg! Stop it!" Korwin yelled inbetween spasms of immense pain. The girl looked as if she were struggling to hold him down.

"Korwin! It's Abi! Open your eyes, I need to take a look at you!" She exclaimed desperately. McDonnell, Marianne and the Doctor took this as their cue to run on in.

"Korwin! What's happened? Is he ok?" McDonnell asked frantically.. Marianne ran to the foot of the bed.

"Oh, God! Help me! It's burning me!" Korwin screamed.

"How long's he been like this?" Marianne asked, using her immense medical knowledge to try and help.

"Ashton just brought him in." Abi said, turning to the girl and looking desperate for some kind of help. The Doctor tossed Marianne his sonic and she used it to scan Korwin, which made McDonnell begin panicking.

"What are you doing?" She demanded, walking right up to Marianne and pushing her back slightly. This, obviously, made the Doctor flare up, and he pulled her back gently, but harshly at the same time.

"She's helping." He told her.

"Sonic impulse." Marianne said right as Korwin shrieked in pain.

"Don't be so stupid, that's my husband!" McDonnell yelled angrily.

"And he's just sabotaged our ship!" Ashton yelled, trying to defend the nice girl helping Korwin.

"What?!" McDonnell demanded, turning to Ashton with a mixture of anger and shock on her face.

"He went mad. He set the ship to secure closure, then he set the heat pulse to melt the controls." Ashton said weakly, knowing that this information would be upsetting his Captain.

"No way! He wouldn't do that!" McDonnell insisted.

"I saw it happen, Captain." Ashton said sourly, looking down at his friend who was thrashing and kicking about. Marianne put the sonic down on a table and bent down to talk to Korwin.

"Korwin? Korwin. Hey! Open your eyes and look at me." She demanded gently.

"I can't." Korwin moaned through gritted teeth. Marianne shook her head and took his chin in her hand.

"Yes you can, you can do anything if it means you can get better for your wife." She told him.

"Don't make me look at her! Please!" Korwin exclaimed. Marianne stood up and turned to McDonnell. "I'm going to sedate him, temporarily of course, but it will calm him down and stop him doing anything irrational." She said. McDonnell nodded and Abi passed her the sedative gun. "Korwin, just relax." She said calmly. Her human medical training had done her good, she thought. She pressed the gun to Korwin's neck and injected the sedative. He struggled for a few more seconds and gave one final shout before lying limp. She put the gun back on the tray.

"Rising body temperature, usual energy readings.." The Doctor said, perching on Korwin's bed and pointing to the stasis chamber hooked up to Korwin's bed. "Stasis chamber. I do love a good stasis chamber. Keep him sedated in there. Regulate the body temperature."

"Oh, and just for fun, why don't you run a bio-scan and tissue profile on a metabolic detail." Marianne shrugged lightly. Abi turned around quickly.

"Just doing them now." She said quietly.

"Good! Anyone else presenting these symptoms?" Marianne asked, turning to the other members of the crew.

"Not so far." Abi shrugged. Marianne smiled.

"Good!" She exclaimed lightly. She turned back to Korwin, who was McDonnell looking down on him sadly.

"Will someone tell me what's the matter with him?" She demanded angrily.

"Some sort of infection." Marianne nodded. "We'll know more after the test results." She assured her.

"Now. Allons-y, back downstairs. Ashton, Captain, see about those engines. Go." The Doctor said. Ashton made to leave while McDonnell stayed static. "Captain. Go." She nodded and left reluctantly. The Doctor then turned to Abi. "Call us if there's news! Any questions?" He asked.

"Yeah. Who are you two?" Abi scoffed.

"I'm the Doctor. She's Marianne." He said, before grabbing Marianne's arm and running away.

"Seems she's more a doctor than he is." Abi muttered.

The Doctor called up Martha and Riley on the intercom. "Martha? Riley? How're you doing?"

"Area twenty-nine, at the door to twenty-eight!" Martha said. The Doctor put on his glasses and stared at a read out.

"You've gotta move faster!" He exclaimed.

"Find the next number in the sequence: 313, 331, 367..." They heard Riley say.

"You said the crew knew all the answers." Martha squeaked, sounding scared.

"379!" Marianne called as she moved past the intercom to fiddle with some readings.

"What?!" Martha yelled.

"It's a sequence of happy primes." The Doctor shouted as he worked. "379!"

"Happy what?" Martha asked.

"Just enter it!"

"Are you sure? We've only got one chance!" Riley called. Marianne rolled her eyes, knowing full well that the Doctor would now explain the theorem of happy primes.

"Any number which reduces to one when you take the sum of the square of its digits and you continue iteratiing until it yields one is a happy number. Any number that doesn't, isn't. A happy prime is a number which is both happy and prime, now type it in!" The Doctor said, extremely quickly. He turned to McDonnell, who wa climbing down a ladder. He saw her look at Marianne with anger.

"Talk about dumbing down." Marianne grinned, listening as she heard the door open.

"We're through!" Martha exclaimed.

"Keep moving. Fast as you can." The Doctor instructed, taking his glasses off. "And Martha, be careful. There may be something else on board this ship." He said quietly. Marianne laughed at Martha's reply.

"Any time you wanna unnerve me, feel free!"

"He will, thanks!" Marianne called. The Doctor switched off the comm and walked away, to some of the broken equipment.

"We need a backup in case they don't reach the auxiliary engines in time. Come on. Think! Resources, what have we got?!" He asked, before Martha came back over the intercom.

"Doctor? Marianne?" Marianne launched herself to the comm.

"What?" She asked, sounding stressed.

"Who had the most number ones, Elvis, or the Beatles? That's pre-download." Martha asked.

"Um.. Elvis. No, no! The Beatles! No! Doctor!" Marianne yelled, he rushed over. He'd also been thinking.

"Argh! What was that remix? I don't know! I'm a bit busy!" He exclaimed angrily.

"Fine! I'll ask someone else!" Martha said, sounding put out.

"Now where was I? Here comes the sun." The Doctor said.

"Do do do do." Marianne sang, in the mood for the Beatles. He smirked.

"We've got no resources. So, the power's still working, the generator's going. If we can harnes that... Ah!" He exclaimed.

"Use the generator to jump start the ship." McDonnell said, catching onto his way of thinking.

"Exactly! See! Tiny glimmer of hope!" He grinned, causing most of the crew to start smiling.

"If it works." A moody Scannell said. Marianne glared at him for bringing the mood down.

"Oh, believe me. This will work." She scoffed. Scannell walked off. "You're gonna make it work!" She added, calling after him. Ashton and the Doctor looked at her, grinning.

"That told him!" The Doctor exclaimed. Even McDonnell smiled.

"Impact in 29.46." The computer said.

"Marianne, Doctor. These readings are starting to scare me." Abi said, over the intercom.

"What d'you mean?" The Doctor asked, now in the engine room.

"Well, Korwin's body's changing! His whole biological make-up, it's impossible..." She said, sounding properly scared. Marianne nodded at the Doctor before sprinting away to the med-centre to help.

About a minute after Marianne was almost there, she heard the Doctor yell at the crew, "Stay here! Keep working!" Something had happened. She ran even more until she burst through, until she saw Korwin slowly prowling on Abi, chanting, "Burn with me. Burn with me." In a horrible raspy voice.

"Abi, come to me!" Marianne yelled, pulling the girl's white sleeve and pulling her closer. Abi was breathing heavily and looked terrified.

"He'd be on the ceiling!" The girl shrieked. Marianne nodded.

"Burn with me." Korwin rasped.

"Korwin, listen to me. You're ill and you need to rest." Marianne said shakily.

"Burn. With. Me!"

He then opened his eyes, revealing a blinding white light. Marianne shut her eyes instantly, whereas Abi kept them open, staring at his glowing eyes. She then emitted a high pitched scream at the sheer brightness, even while her eyes were closed Marianne was finding it unberable.

She heard the Doctor burst through the plastic sheeting door to the med-centre, to see nobody there. Nothing.

"Korwin's gone..." McDonnell said shakily.

"Where's Marianne?" The Doctor asked, turning around and around to try and find her.

"Oh my God." Scannell breathed. The Doctor turned to where he was looking to find a charred black shape on the white wall, a shape of a person. One person. Abi.

The Doctor walked towards it. "If that's Abi, where's Marianne?" He asked. He looked around once more, to find Marianne sheltered under a desk, her eyes shut tight and whimpering slightly.

"Marianne! Open your eyes!" He exclaimed, bending down, she did so as if expecting a bright light to still be there. He noticed her eyes looked red from light exposure.

"Where's Abi?" She asked. "I told her to get down, I told her this would protect her a bit more." She began.

"Don't worry about her." The Doctor said, but he couldn't stop her from jumping up and seeing the black shape. She groaned.

"Endothermic vaporisation. I've never seen one this ferocious." She said. "This could've been me, and I could've saved Abi." She yelled, incredibly angry at herself.

"Don't worry." The Doctor began.

"Don't worry?! Unlike you, I dislike abandoning people!" She shrieked. He nodded. She was really quite upset. He turned back to the wall, wanting to leave her with her thoughts.

"Burn with me." He said, sounding and looking distant.

"That's what we heard Korwin saw." Scannell pointed out. McDonnell shook her head.

"What?! D'you think... No way! Scannell, tell him! Korwin is not a killer! He can't vaporise people! He's human!" She cried. The Doctor noticed something on the floor and picked it up. The x-rays and bioscan results that Abi had been looking at.

"His bioscan results... internal temperature, one hundred degrees!" He exclaimed in shock.

"Let me see." Marianne demanded, snatching the sheet and causing the Doctor to grit his teeth.

"Body oxygen replaced by hydrogen!" She read. "Captain McDonnell, your husband hasn't been infected, he's been overwhelmed!" McDonnell then snatched the results from Marianne.

"The test results are wrong." She insisted in a dead pan tone to her voice.

"But what is it though? Parasite? Mutagenic virus? Something that needs a host body. But how did it get inside him!?" The Doctor asked.

"Yeah, I don't think you're helping." Marianne hissed, digging him in the ribs to shut him up.

"Doctor, stop talking about him like he's an experiment!" McDonnell said, slightly hysterical. Marianne digged him again..

"Alright, alright. Stop digging me. Where's the ship been? Have you made planet-fall recently?" He asked, trying to take a gentler approach. McDonnell looked blankly at him. "Docked with any other vessels? Any kind of external contact at all?"

"What is this? An interrogation?" McDonnell demanded. Marianne rolled her eyes.

"We've got to stop him, before he kills again." The Doctor said.

"We're just.. a cargo ship." McDonnell hesitated.

"Alright." Marianne snorted. "Say that without hesitating." McDonnell glared at her, but it didn't have an effect on Marianne. McDonnell then turned around, looking distraught. Scannell tried his best to comfort her.

"Doctor, Marianne, if you give her a minute..." Scannell said, knowing they'd understand. The Time Lord's looked on as Scannell turned to McDonnell. She took a deep breath.

"I'm fine. I need to warn the crew." She said, walking to the intercom. "Everybody listen to me! Something has infected Korwin. We think... He killed Abi Lerner. None of you must go anywhere near him, is that clear?" She said into the comm.

"Impact in 24.51." The computer said, and Marianne had serious thoughts of smashing the computers in. That voice was annoying as hell.

"Is the infection permanent? Can you cure him?" McDonnell sighed, accepting her fate.

"I don't know." Marianne said sadly. She nodded and brushed a hand through her hair.

"Don't lie to me, Marianne. Eleven years we've been married. We chose this ship together. He keeps me honest. You know how it feels, don't you? You've got him. Imagine if this happened to the Doctor. So I don't want false hope." She said sincerely. Marianne didn't have the heart to tell her she and the Doctor weren't together. She may be many things but she wasn't heartless. She nodded.

"The parasite's too aggressive. Your husband's gone. I'm so sorry." She said gently. McDonnell nodded again, taking it all in.

"Thank you, Marianne." She said quietly. The Doctor seemed to spring into life again as he walked to McDonnell eagerly.

"Are you certain nothing happened to provoke this? Nobody's working on anything secret, 'cause it's vital that you tell us." The Doctor begged.

"I know every inch of this ship. I know every detail of my crew's lives. There is nothing." Captain McDonnell promised delicately. The Doctor stared at her.

"Then why is this thing interested in you?"

"I wish I knew..." She said, shaking her head sadly.

"Doctor, Marie, we're through to area 17." Martha said over the comm. Marianne snapped back to life too and rushed over.

"Good job! Keep going on to Area 1." Marianne said optimistically. "If you need help, just ask."

A few minutes later, Martha's frantic voice came back through. "Doctor! Marianne! We're stuck in an escape pod off the area seventeen airlock." Before she'd even continued the sentence, the Doctor and Marianne had taken off running to find her. They were running full pelt trying to get her in time. When they reached area 17, they saw Ashton tapping the keypad to get into the escape pod, it was obvious he'd been infected too.

"That's enough!" Marianne yelled, and Ashton turned to look at them both.

"What do you want? Why this ship? Tell me!" The Doctor shouted angrily. Ashton didn't answer, instead he turned and slammed his fist into the keypad. Inside the escape pod, the sires began to whine and the computer began to give warnings.

"Jettison activated." The computer said.

Marianne dodged behind Ashton and began typing frantically on the keypad, watching through the small door window to see Riley doing the same. She turned behind her for a second to see the Doctor and Ashton staring each other out.

"Come on. Let's see you. I wanna know what you really are.." the Doctor hissed, standing nose to nose with Ashton. Marianne didn't watch, however, when Ashton double upped for no apparent reason and backed away from the Doctor. He soon came back to normal and headed straight back for the Doctor.

"Airlock sealed." The computer said. Taking the Doctor by surprise, Ashton shoved past him and headed out of area 17. The Doctor rushed to the nearest intercom unit.

"McDonnell! Ashton's heading in your direction! He's been infected, just like Korwin!" He exclaimed.

"Korwin's dead, Doctor." Scannell said delicately back over the comm. Marianne closed her eyes briefly but continued trying to get Martha and Riley out.

"Airlock decompression completed. Jessitsoning pod." The computer said. Marianne growled and the Doctor rushed over.

"Marianne! Doctor!" They heard Martha yell from inside the pod.

"We'll save you!" The Doctor promised, as he watched Martha tapping on the pod glass. They then watched as the pod moved away, further and further towards the sun.

"You could've helped me then." Marianne snapped, letting her head drop into her hands. The Doctor gritted his teeth.

"What, and let Ashton kill you?" He asked. Marianne bit her lip and turned away from him. This love hate relationship was really relentless. The Doctor waited for her to reply, and when she didn't he moved to the comm unit again.

"Scannell! I need a spacesuit in area 17, now!"

"Make it two!" Marianne added.

"What for?" Scannell asked.

"Just do it!" The Doctor yelled angrily. "Marianne, you're not coming with me." He told her dryly.

"Yes I am." She insisted. He shook his head.

Scannell soon turned up with two spacesuits, and he helped the Doctor into his. He turned to help Marianne, but the Doctor shook his head at him.

"Don't. She's not coming with me." He said. Scannell looked at the Doctor's furiously angry face before shrugging and letting the suit drop to the floor.

"Where's my free will?!" Marianne demanded, not even bothering to pick up the suit. If he didn't want her help, he didn't get it. Simple.

"Marianne, it's too dangerous. He's right. Doctor, I can't let you do this." Scannell breathed.

"You're wasting your breath, Scannell. You're not gonna stop me." The Doctor smiled sadly.

"You wanna open an airlock in flight on a ship spinning into the sun. Nobody can survive that." Scannell laughed dryly.

"Oh, just you watch." The Doctor grinned.

"Don't worry, Scannell. He knows he'll barely keep his life. That's what he likes to do, you see. Put other people through pain waiting for him to come back alive." Marianne sneered, rolling her eyes and sitting down square on the floor. The Doctor ignored her.

"Look, if I can breach the magnetic lock on the ship's exterior, it should remagnetise the pod. Now, while I'm out there, you have to get the rest of those doors open. We need those auxiliary engines." The Doctor explained.

"Doctor, will you listen! They're too far away, it's too late!" Scannell shouted.

"I'm not gonna lose her." The Doctor insisted, putting his helmet on. He walked past Marianne and Scannell to the airlock door, which slid open for him. He walked inside, looking intense in his suit. He pressed a button on a keypad which opened the exterior door. He recoiled from the heat and brightness of the sun, but recovered and grabbed hold of the frame.

Marianne didn't stand up to watch, not wanting to go through the emotional termoil. She remembered when he left her the first time.

When she told him she was pregnant, and he looked her up and down, kissed her cheek and told her he'd be back soon. Five minutes he said, to pick up some baby things and come back for her. He never did. Of course, she'd bumped into him a few times on Earth, but she'd always ignored him. She knew he'd tried to find her various times, tried to track her down. She still wasn't sure whether he was at the hospital she worked at due to chance. She thought he'd tracked her there. It suited him to do that, she thought wryly.

A few minutes later and she couldn't take the suspense anymore. She stood up and walked to the intercom unit, sighing as she did so.

"Doctor? How're you doing?" She asked quietly.

"I can't!" He exclaimed, and she could hear the strain in his voice. "I can't reach! I don't know how much longer I can last!"

He heard her sigh once more. "Don't give up, please don't, Doctor. Keep going. Come on." She encouraged.

Her words seemed to brighten up and boost him, and he continued to stretch further and further until he grabbed the handle and yanked the cover of the box. Inside was a lever. The Doctor grabbed hold of it, screaming with pain and effort, and he tried to pull it down. And it did. He'd done it.

He smiled as he saw the pod hurtling back, and he struggled to get back into the airlock. As soon as he got inside, he fell to his knees, exhausted. He looked up and he saw that he could see over the bottom lip of the airlock and right into the bright sun. He stared, confused and frightened into the sun, the light intensely reflecting off his visor.

"It's alive.." He whispered. "It's alive? It's alive!"

"Close the airlock." Marianne instructed without any emotion in her voice. She'd stayed to greet him whilst Scannell and McDonnell had gone opening the other doors with the clamp. Marianne took of running however when she heard Martha yell for her.

When she reached them both, the Doctor was on his knees still, writhing with pain on the floor.

"He called for you." Martha said, distraught and not knowing what to do. Marianne dashed to him and bent down, putting an arm around his shoulder. He removed his helmet, with his eyes clamped shut tightly.

"No." She breathed. She tried to help him sit up, but as she did so, the Doctor opened his eyes to reveal golden pools of light.

"Stay away from me!" He exclaimed.

"No." She insisted, determined.


	14. Chapter 14

The Doctor closed his eyes again, once again writhing in pain from the immense demon inside of him. Marianne tried to control him, tried to hold him down, but she was struggling to do so and nobody else would go near him; not even Martha.

"What's happened?" Captain McDonnell asked, appearing in the room.

"It's your fault, Captain McDonnell!" The Doctor exclaimed, thankfully in his normal voice (slighty strained voice, however), unlike Korwin and Ashton, who's voices had changed horribly. Marianne looked behind her to look at McDonnell's reaction, which was looking quite shocked, she noted. She regained composure fairly soon, however.

"Doctor, what do you mean?" Marianne asked, her voice quite harsh as she tried to stop him writhing around.

"She mined that sun! Stripped its surface for cheap fuel! You should have scanned for life!" The Doctor roared, aiming the last part at McDonnell herself, who'd had a blush appear on her cheeks.

"I don't understand." She stammered.

"That sun is alive! A living organism! They scooped out it's heart, used it for fuel, and now it's screaming!" "The Doctor shouted, more angry than he'd been in a long time. Marianne tried to calm him by putting a cool hand on his forehead, which was blazing hot.

"What do you mean? How can a sun be alive?" McDonnell shrieked. "Why is he saying that Marianne?!"

"Because it's living in him." She replied calmly, keeping her hand pressed to his skin, as it seemed to appease him somewhat.

"Oh my God..." McDonnell muttered, finally realising what was happening.

"Humans! You grab whatever's nearest and bleed it dry!" The Doctor screamed in agony, writhing more and more into Marianne's lap, who refused to budge out of the way for him. "You should have scanned!" He repeated, clearly in anguish.

"It takes too long!" McDonnell protested. "We'd be caught! Fusion scoops are illegal!"

"You've got to freeze me, quickly!" The Doctor cried.

"Right." Marianne said, thinking of the most efficent way of doing so. "Stasis chamber." She said calmly.

"What?!" Martha squeaked, now rushing to her side.

"Stasis chamber!" Marianne exclaimed. "He has to be kept below minus 200. Freeze this baby out of him!" She roared, watching as the Doctor screamed in pain with his head on her lap.

"Marianne, quickly. It'll use me to kill you if you don't... Hurry up!" He said through gritted teeth. "The closer we get to the sun, the stronger... IT GETS!" He screamed.

"You heard the man! Med-centre, quickly! Help me get him up!" Marianne ordered, and McDonnell, Martha and Marianne all picked him up and between them, they carried him quickly to the med-centre.

"Impact in 7.30." The computer reminded them all.

As the girls broke through the plastic doors to the med-centre, he screamed louder than before. Marianne had also started to feel his immense pain through their Bond, and it killed her inside to know that he was feeling it worse. Marianne left the Doctor with the Captain and Martha and rushed to the stasis chamber, grabbing the manual as she did so.

"Marianne, where are you?" The Doctor called blindly, feeling through the Bond that she was no longer close.

"I'm alright! I'm right here!" She yelled, reassuringly. She ran back through and grabbed the Doctor's arm wildly. "See. Perfectomundo! C'mon, the stasis chamber awaits you." She said, helping the women lift him onto the bed in the stasis chamber.

"No, but you don't know how this equipment works! You'll kill him! Nobody can survive those temperatures!" McDonnell insisted.

"Aha, that's where you're wrong. We're not human. We can both stick it out." Marianne winked.

"Let me help you then!" McDonnell cried, desperate to get back in their good books.

"You've done enough damage." Martha spat, full of hatred towards the woman.

"Ten seconds. That's all I'll be able to take. No more!" The Doctor screamed. "Marianne!"

"Yeah?" She asked.

"It's burning me up, I can't control it. If you don't get rid of it, I could kill you. I could kill you all in a blink of an eye." He screamed. "Marianne, please! I'm scared! I'm so scared!" He yelled, childlike and genuinely frightened.. Martha watched as Marianne visibly melted, and she rushed to his side and bent down, her face dangerously close to his. She kissed his forehead and grabbed his hand.

"Stay calm and believe in me." She whispered, and he nodded whilst whimpering.

"It's bloody killing me!" He roared. "Then what'll happen?" He asked. Marianne grabbed his shoulders and hugged him to her.

"I've got you!" She shouted, trying to remind him of that fact.

"What if I regenerate." He whimpered.

"Then I'll do it with you." She said, pushing Martha on to start the Stasis Chamber, throwing her the manual on the right page. "C'mon, grab my hand." She said, and he did so, feeling around blindly for it.

"You ready?" Martha asked after figuring out how to do it.

"No." He cried. Marianne simply smiled, knowing everything would work out fine. She looked down at their odd position, his face buried in her chest, his hand tightly around hers and his body convulsing on the bed.

"Kick it!" She yelled. She looked up to outside the chamber, just as Martha pressed the right button. She felt the temperature plummet and she gritted her teeth hard, almost grinding them with the pain.

The Doctor screamed continuously, the pain for him much more intense than hers. But she kept his head on her chest and his hand in hers, riding out the storm with him.

She felt ice begin to develop on her hair. Minus 70, she thought. But then it turned off.

"Martha, you can't stop it! Not yet!" She called, looking up through the cold and ice.

"What's happened?!" She heard Martha shout desperately.

"Power's been cut in engineering!" McDonnell replied.

"Well who's down there?" Marianne yelled, the pain of the cold really hitting her. She felt the Doctor scream again and she had to bite her tongue with the sorrow she felt for him.

"Leave it to me!" McDonnell said seriously. The Doctor let out a guttural snarl, and Marianne moved herself to protect him even more. She kissed his foreheard once more, trying desperately to give him hope.

"Marianne." He managed to choke. "Get out." He commanded. He groaned when he felt her shake her head. "Please." He cried.

"As if I'd leave you." She replied, laughing dryly.

"That's the... Difference between you and me!" He cried through the pain.

"I know." She smiled, running a hand through his partly frozen hair. The ice was melting, she thought. He cried out in pain as the heat won over cold.

"Martha! Listen!" He exclaimed and Martha peered inside the chamber. "I've only got a moment. You've gotta go!"

"No way!" Martha retorted, looking on at the two Time Lord's suffering together.

"Get to the front! Vent the engines! Sun particles in the fuel! Get rid of them!" He roared.

"I am not leaving you!" The girl cried.

"You've got to! I have Marianne! Give back what they took!"

"Doctor!" Martha protested, thinking that it would always be this way. The Doctor and Marianne, with Martha as the loyal sidekick.

"Please! Go!" The Doctor screamed, convulsing as Marianne tried to restrain him again.

"I'll be back for you." Martha promised, before running away to do as he said.

Marianne was thrown to the floor as the Doctor unwillingly launched himself out of the chamber. He cried out in pain as the demon inside him threw him around, before he had the strength to pull himself upright, whimpering and crying in pain. Marianne gritted her teeth and bent down in front of him.

"Please don't go, c'mon. Get back on the bed, this thing can't take you. It just can't, because what will I do then? The difference between you and me isn't that big, I know you're constantly running but you wouldn't run from me again." She told him quietly.

"I can't fight it." He said, in a defeated tone, and he began half crawling, half dragging himself across the floor to try and get to Martha.

"Doctor, what're you doing?!" Marianne asked, running after him.

"Martha!" He yelled, and Martha soon ran to meet them.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked, looking to see Marianne watching him, a hand pressed over her mouth, her eyes shut tight with a tear falling down her cheek. She clearly hated seeing him like this.

"Give it back or..." He tried, trying to tell Martha how she could win. But it was too late, he opened his eyes and they glowed brightly, glowing with the heat of the sun. "Burn with me. Burn with me." He cried. Martha looked at Marianne, and when the Time Lady nodded, she took off running away again, while Marianne simply stood there watching him. He screamed once more, glowing with sun light all around him.

Marianne almost fell to the ground when the ship lurched, but when she looked back up, she knew Martha had done it. Dumped the sun fuel. The Doctor began screaming once more, but she sighed with relief when she noted that his eyes weren't glowing anymore. He turned on his back and she bent down to him, still in a lot of pain. The lurching of the ship grew more and more violent, meaning only that more fuel was being dumped.

The Doctor stopped convulsing, stopped shouting, the pain had subsided. He looked to Marianne, who was watching anxiously. He smiled weakly at her, and she helped him to his feet. He then turned to her, picked her up into a hug, lifting her clean of the ground and smiling as she laughed.

Everything seemed to have returned to normal, the ship was flying through space, away from the sun. The only thing different was the obvious lack of crew members, something McDonnell took complete responsibility for. Only her, Riley and Scannell were left.. But she was fine with that. As long as some of her friends were fine.

They were all stood, admiring the TARDIS, wondering how the hell that thing flied.

"This is never your ship!" Scannell exclaimed.

"Compact, don't ya think?" Marianne grinned.

"And robust! Barely a scorch mark on her." The Doctor added.

"We can't just leave them with no fuel." Martha said, reminding them of what still needed to be done.

"We've sent an official mayday, the authorities will pick us up soon enough." Riley assured her, smiling.

"Though how we explain what happened..." Scannell muttered. The Doctor nodded and opened the door to the TARDIS.

"Just tell them. That sun needs care and protection, just like any other living thing." He said. Scannell nodded, as the Doctor and Marianne went into the TARDIS, soon followed by Martha (after quickly kissing Riley). As she walked up to the console, she was beaming with happiness.

She'd saved the day, for once. No more Marianne and the Doctor, with their sidekick Martha.. It was now Martha, Marianne and the Doctor. Saving the world one step at a time!

"So! Didn't really need you two in the end, did we?" She asked, smiling smugly. When she noticed that only Marianne was smiling back, her smile dropped. "Sorry. How're you doing?" She asked.

"Now! What do you say? Ice skating on the mineral lakes of Cuhlhan? Fancy it?" He asked, ignoring the question.

"Whatever you like." She replied, unenthusiastically. The Doctor looked at her for a second before pulling two keys from his pocket, dangling on long chains.

"Really?" Martha grinned.

"Frequent flier's privilege." He grinned, dropping the key into her outstretched palm. He then tried to hand the other to Marianne, who shook her head.

"Still got it." She said, rummaging through her coat pocket (Bigger on the inside) and pulling out a rather scuffed and old key.

The Doctor grinned, to be met with a smile.

There we go then, Marianne's finally warming up to the Doctor. But will it last?


	15. Chapter 15

Hello! How good was Asylum of the Daleks?! JESUS IT WAS SO GOOD AND I CRIED TWICE. Poor Amy and poor Oswin! :'(

Now it's time for Human Nature which I already found hard to write for my other fic, but it should be even harder this time! At first I was stuck as to what Marianne should be, but I think I've got it figured out now. It's slightly darker than it normally would, with scenes of depression. If that's not your thing, please don't read it. I don't want to upset anyone. Enjoy!

-Fay x

"Did they see you?" The Doctor demanded urgently, pulling Martha up to him and staring into her eyes. In the meantime, Marianne was trying to stop the TARDIS from sparking and setting fire, which she was struggling with.

"I don't know!" Martha exclaimed frantically, watching Marianne didn't set herself on fire or something equally ridiculous.

"Did they see you?" He asked again.

"I don't know, I was too busy running!" She shouted.

"Martha!" Marianne called. "It's important, did they see your face?"

"No, they couldn't have!" She cried back. The Doctor looked at Marianne and they both nodded at each other. He bounded over to her and began helping with the console.

"Off we go!" He shouted amidst the chaos. Martha also rushed over to the console and watched them both playing with the controls frantically, jumping as he abruptly stopped and intently watched the time rotor. A warning beep erupted from the console.

"Ah!" The Doctor cried, frustrated. He grabbed the monitor and read it avidly, with Marianne peering over his shoulder.

"They're following us." She breathed. They both bounded back to the console.

"How can they do that, you've got a time machine." Martha shouted over the immense noise of the TARDIS.

"Stolen technology." Marianne explained. "They've got a Time Agents vortex manipulator. They can follow us wherever we go, right across the universe."

"They're never gonna stop." The Doctor added after a slight pause. Martha nodded, her face clouded with disbelief. The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more.

"Unless... We'll have to do it..." He muttered. Marianne nodded. She fully supported this. They both stared at Martha, thinking of the best way to go about things.

"Martha, you trust us don't you?" The Doctor asked, frantic once more.

"Of course I do." She nodded.

"Cause it all depends on you." Marianne added, looking over his shoulder once more. The Doctor dived beneath the console and pulled out his ornate pocket watch, with Ancient Gallifreyan scribed into the shiny silver metal. Marianne fumbled around in her large pockets for a minute before pulling hers out, which looked the same but was slightly more tarnished and dusty.

"What does, what am I supposed to do?" Martha asked, eyeing them both curiously.

"Take these watches, 'cause our lives depend on it. The watches, Martha. The watches are-" The Doctor said, shoving the watches into her hand.

John Smith was led in a single bed, with dark scratchy sheets and stiff blue, striped pjyamas. His eyes flashed open, and he blinked in confusion a few times, looking around the ornate Victorian bedroom he found himself in. He eyed the deep wood panelling, Victorian paintings and the stacks and stacks of old fashioned books. Although, to him, they weren't old fashioned. He'd bought them only a few weeks ago.

John rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed, stretching after his sleep clouded with bad dreams. Or good dreams, depending on your angle. He turned to the door when he heard a loud knock.

"Come in." He called, his voice bitten with weariness. The door opened and Martha walked in,a large silver breakfast tray in her hands. But the most alarming thing about her was her classic Victorian maid's attire. And the fact that John only saw her as his maid.

"Pardon me, Mr Smith, you're not dressed yet. I can come back later-" She said, her eyes averting themselves to the ground as she took him in in his night wear. She turned to leave, but John stood up, pulling a dressing gown around him and tying it tightly shut.

"No, it's alright, it's alright. Put it down." He said, looking and sounding distracted.

He seemed lost, Martha noted. And it's because Marianne's not here. She added bitterly. Where the hell was Marianne? She'd just disappeared. She'd not seen her since they crash landed here a few weeks ago. She was clouded with worry for her best friend, but she had a duty to look after John, and although she'd been looking avidly for Marianne, she couldn't leave for too long without John getting suspicious.

Martha nodded and walked to the table and set his breakfast down, keeping her eyes down. John watched her thoughtfully.

"I was, um..." He muttered, only to pause mid thought. "Sorry, sorry. Sometimes I have these extraordinary dreams." He rambled. As Martha opened the curtains and allowed light to stream in, she smiled.

"What about sir?" She asked, knowing full well what about.

"I dream I'm this.." He said, searching for the right term. "Adventurer. This... daredevil. A madman. 'The Doctor.' I'm called. And last night I dreamt that you were there,as my companion. With someone else, that actress I believe. Miss Bradley." He said. Martha's eyes widended. An actress? Marianne was an actress? She pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

"A teacher, a housemaid and an actress? That's impossible." She shrugged ironically.

"Ah no, a man from another world, though..." John rambled.

"Well it can't be true because there's no such thing." Martha said, slightly bitter. John walked to the mantelpiece, and eyed his watch dismissively.

"This thing." He said, picking it up and stroking it. "The watch..."

Martha watched him intently, hopeful that he'd remember. But instead, John sighed and put it back down.

"Ah, it's funny how dreams slip away." He turned back to Martha. "But I do remember one thing; it all took place in the future. In the year of our lord two thousand and seven." He smirked.

"I can prove that wrong for you sir, here's the morning paper." She said, handing him the coarse newspaper. "It's Monday, November tenth, nineteen thirteen. And you're completely human, sir." She smiled. "As human as they come."

"Mm, that's me; completely human." John agreed, eyeing the newspaper curiously. He threw it down and grinned at Martha.

Marianne Bradley, actress extraordinaire. Dancing Queen. Voice of an angel. Flew into existence a month ago and now starlet of the screen. Never been seen or heard before, but suddenly she rose to the very top, never to look down.

Except.. The odd thing about Marianne was that she'd always lived in a small English village, whereas one would think she be in London, or Paris. That's where all the great stage actresses went. The big cities. They certainly didn't stay in sleepy, quaint villages.

But there was a rustic and rural charm about this village that Marianne adored, and despite that, she felt that she simply couldn't leave. There was a certain pull to the village and she literally couldn't leave.

Not that she minded of course.

She was adored. That's the only way to put it. Her long blonde hair was envied by women everywhere, and her figure was something to die for..

The only thing that put people off was her distant look in her eyes, as if she was deeply upset by something. Or missing something that she couldn't quite pinpoint. She acted and she danced and performed fine, with a glint in her eye. But as soon as the show finished, she'd return to a dreamy young girl, who looked utterly miserable.

Script writers and directors had often walked in on her crying. Once asked what was the matter, she didn't even realise she'd been doing it.

"Miss Bradley, you've been booked in for a talk with the local boys school. Mainly an inspiration talk, to give them their fighting spark." Her agent told her. Marianne nodded, the distant look back. Her agent, Mr Woods, frowned. He shook his head as she rose, leaving his small home office and going back to her grand mansion on the edge of the village.

"That girl will be the death of me." He sighed, pulling a cigar from his box and lighting it. "She'll be the death of herself." He added.

John Smith was teaching, a fabulous History teacher, the Head Master had assured parents. And he really was.

The blackboard behind him read, 'Battle of Waterloo, 18th June 1815.'

"The French were all but spent, with only two battalions old the old guard remaining. A final reserve force was charged with protecting Napoleon. By evening, the advance of the Allied Troops had forced them to retreat." He lectured.

Martha and her friend, Jenny, were on hands and knees, scrubbing the muddy floor. John walked past, his head in the clouds as he wandered through the school.

"Morning, sir." Martha smiled.

"Yes, hi." He replied, distracted. He slowly walked up the stairs, not quite sure as to what he was doing.

"Head in the clouds, that one. Don't know why you're so sweet on him." Jenny smirked, watching Martha out the corner of her eye. Martha smiled and continued scrubbing.

"He's just kind to me, that's all. Not everyone's that considerate, what with me being-" Martha said, pointing to her face. Jenny smiled.

"A Londoner?" She asked, grinning.

"Exactly." Martha laughed. "Good old London town!"

Two senior school boys, Baines and Hutchinson, walked past, sneering as they did so.

"Ah, now then, you two." Baines barked, walking over to the two ladies. Martha and Jenny stopped laughing and quickly looked up. "You're not paid to have fun, are you. Put a little backbone into it." He commanded, smirking.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir." Jenny said sadly.

"You there, what's your name again?" Hutchinson asked, looking at Martha.

"Martha, sir. Martha Jones." She said quietly and shyly.

"Tell me then, Jones. With hands like those, how can you tell when something's clean?" He asked, and the two boys laughed cruelly as Martha looked down.

"Excuse me!" A familiar voice called out. The two boys looked round in disdain to see Marianne Bradley leaning against the staircase, in all her glamour. Their smirks fell as they took her in. "Who do you think you're talking to?" She demanded, walking right up to them. Baines smirked.

"That thing, there." He said, gesturing to Martha. He grinned. Marianne feigned a grin before turning deadly serious, and in true Hollywood style, she slapped him, rather hard. She then did the same to his friend.

"How dare you talk to her like that, apologize right now." She warned, offering her hands to Jenny and Martha, who used them to get up.

"Sorry." The boys mumbled.

"Don't accept." Marianne urged the women.

"We don't accept." Martha said, her modern day bravery coming back to haunt her. Marianne turned to the boys and raised her eyebrows.

"See. Not so clever now." She told them, and they both skulked away. As soon as her outburst had finished, she seemed to go back into her dream depression state.

"Thank you." Martha grinned, thankful that her friend was back, however odd she looked with classic vintage hair and a long gown on. She was fashion forward, Martha noted. Already in flapper mode. She expected all women in 1913 to be wearing long dresses with bustles and parasols, but Marianne was wearing a slim fitting dress, with fringe on the arms. She even had red lipstick on!, she thought. Setting trends ten years early, Martha grinned to herself.

Marianne nodded, distracted as she walked away.

"Odd woman, that actress is." Jenny said, watching her walk away before getting back to the floors.

"Yeah.." Martha mumbled, grinning after her. But what was she doing in school?

As Marianne walked, she frowned as all eyes turned to her. Her does eyes lowered to the ground, but snapped back up when she saw someone familiar walking towards her. She took in his brown, mussed up hair, his leanness, his distinct face. She grinned at him, and he grinned back. She then noticed his arms full of text books.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Bradley. I'm Mr Smith, History teacher." He introduced.

"Ah. Delightful. Hello, Mr Smith." She grinned. "Have we met before?" She asked. John's eyes widended.

"I don't think we have, no." He told her.

"I feel like I've met you before. How odd." She grinned, before touching his arm as a farewell and walking away. She felt him stare after her as she went. She turned back, however, when she heard a loud clatter on the floor.

She walked back over and picked some of the books up. "You need help?" She asked, right as another woman also picked some up.

"Yes please." He said, aiming it at both of them. He picked some up himself.

"Good." The other woman smiled warmly. Joan Redfern, the school nurse.

"No harm done." He smiled at her, before looking again at Marianne. "We meet again." He smiled.

"I couldn't let a nice man like you pick these up by himself." Marianne grinned, looking at Nurse Redfern from the corner of her eye.

"Quite right, madam." He said, smiling enthusiastically. Marianne grinned at him again before looking at the books in her arms.

"I appear to be holding your books." She urged. John snapped out of his trancelike state.

"Yes, so you are! Sorry, sorry." He mumbled, and he took some from Joan and then Marianne.

"Why don't I take half?" Joan offered as she took the rest from Marianne with an aweful smile. She was as much under Marianne's spell as the men were. What with her red lips, dark eyes and floral smell. Quite unusual for such a small village to see such glamour.

"Ah, brilliant idea, brilliant. Perfect. Division of labour." John smiled at Joan.

"We make quite a team." Joan said.

"Don't we just." John nodded, before turning to Marianne. "Goodbye again, Miss Bradley. I look forward to your pep talk." He nodded, she smiled before turning back and walking the opposite way.

As soon as she wasn't in his presence, her smile faded and she felt that little bit more drab. As if the life inside her had gone.

About half an hour later, Marianne had heard that the wonderful History teacher had injured himself, quite seriously, she was told. She had rushed to John's office straight away, almost tripping over her dress with anxiety.

She knocked gently on the door, and Nurse Redfern knew who it was straight away, just by smelling her perfume through the door.

"Come in." She called, feeling drab. Marianne walked in, looking flustered, and she walked quickly to John.

"Are you alright? Gosh, look at you." She said, picking up a cloth and pressing it gently on the large cut on his head. He frowned and hissed through the pain. Nurse Redfern watched with both anger and amusement in her eyes.

"I gey boys causing less fuss than this." She called, watching as Marianne did her job for her.

"Because it hurts!" He said sulkily. Marianne grinned at that.

Martha burst in, full of concern for John.

"Is he alright?" She asked frantically.

"Excuse me, Martha. It's hardly good form to enter a master's study without knocking." Nurse Redfern scolded. Marianne frowned at that. John noticed her frown and realised he was mirroring it.

"It's quite alright, Nurse. Martha, I'm quite fine." He told her, smiling through the pain. "Just a tumble." He assured her. Martha smiled and walked over to Marianne.

"Have you checked for concussion?" She asked.

"I have, yes." Marianne nodded.

"Are you a woman of medical knowledge, Miss Bradley?" Nurse Redfern asked.

"As a matter of fact, I am. Quite good with my medical knowledge. As, I'm sure, Martha is too." She spoke up. Martha grinned down at her, mirroring John's carefree grin.

"Right." Nurse Redfern said, sitting down in a chair as if fed up.

"I was just telling Matron about my dreams. They are quite remarkable tales." John spoke up. Marianne's head snapped up from where she sat on the ground. "I keep imagining that I'm someone else, and I'm hiding-" He began.

"Me too!" Marianne exclaimed. "That must be where I recognise you from! You're the dream man!"

"Well, that's extraordinary, because you're in my dreams too." He smiled shyly.

"You were saying about hiding..." Matron urged.

"Yes. Right. Um.. er.. almost night." John laughed nervously. "This is going to sound silly-"

"Tell me." Marianne urged, a sparkle finally in her eye.

"I dream, quite often, that we have two hearts." He finished, motioning to himself and Marianne, who nodded eagerly.

"Well then, I can be the judge of that." Nurse Redfern said, pulling out a stethoscope and placing it on John's chest. One heart. She didn't want to make things even more awkward by testing out Miss Bradley.

"I can confirm the diagnosis- just one heart, singular." Joan smiled. John laughed.

"I have written down some of these dreams in the form of fiction... um.. not that it would be of any interest." John said, looking down at the ground.

"I'd be very interested." Nurse Redfern grinned. John stood and walked to his desk, picking up his journal.

"Well... I've never shown it to anyone before." He said. He handed the Matron the journal.

"Journal of Impossible Things." She read. Marianne smiled at that, leaning back on John's chair dreamily. She turned through the pages, showing elaborate sketches of the TARDIS, gas-mask zombies and nanogenes, Daleks, the face of the Moxx of Balhoon, Autons, Clockwork droids and finally a sketch of Rose.

"It's wonderful. And quite an eye for the pretty girls." Joan commented as she slowly turned the pages.

"Oh, no, no. She's just an invention. This character, Rose. I call her, Rose." John explained.

Joan turned the page again to come to another sketch of the TARDIS.

"Ah, that's the box. The blue box. It's always there. Like a... like a magic carpet. This funny little box that transports me to far away places." John explained.

"I get that too. It's bigger on the inside, is it not?" Marianne asked.

"Yes!" John exclaimed excitedly. Joan turned the page again, to come to sketches of past regenerations of the Doctor.

"I sometimes think how magical life would be if things like this were true." Marianne spoke up. John looked at her, really looked at her. Amazed that she would say something like that. Surely, her life must already be quite magical?

"If only." He agreed. "They're only dreams."

Joan turned the page to come face to face with a sketch of Marianne, Time Lady Marianne. With no red lipstick and no long dresses. A grinning Marianne with jeans and a vest on, a frowning Marianne, glaring up from the page. Marianne with Martha. Joan kept turning the pages, dozens of them, filled with Marianne. Past regenerations of her, future her, even Marianne Bradley the actress was there. Joan felt queasy and shut the journal, handing it back. John looked at his friend sadly.

"Oh, gosh. Is that the time? I'm supposed to be speaking about fighting right now." Marianne said, struggling to get up. A serious John lent her his hand, and he pulled her up. She swallowed at their closeness before leaving his office without a word to anyone.

That evening, Martha and Jenny were sat outside, freezing, at the local pub.

"Ooh, it's freezing out here! Why can't we have a drink inside the pub?" She frowned. Jenny smirked at her friend.

"Now don't be ridiculous- you do get these notions! It's all very well those Suffragettes; but that's London, that's miles away." She said, shaking her head slightly.

"But don't you want to scream sometimes, having to bow and scrape and behave, don't you just wanna tell them?" Martha asked passionately.

"I dunno." Jenny smiled. "Things must be different in your country."

"Yeah, well they are. Thank God I'm not staying." Martha sighed, taking another sip of her drink.

"You keep saying that." Jenny frowned.

"Just you wait. One more month and I'm as free as the wind. I wish you could come with me, Jenny- you'd love it!" She exclaimed wistfully.

"Where are you gonna go?" Jenny asked, morbidly curious.

"Anywhere." Martha smiled, looking up at the stars. "Just look up there. Imagine you could go all the way out to the stars." She laughed, as did Jenny.

"You don't half say mad things!"

"Ah, I don't think she does." Marianne said, as she walked past the pub. She stopped for a moment, also looking up at the stars. "Don't you let go of the dream." She said.

"Where are you going, miss?" Martha asked.

"I've got dance practise. I'm catching a train to the city." She smiled. "I'll be back tomorrow. I've got another talk at your school for the younger boys. See you around, Martha Jones!" She exclaimed, and Martha smiled when she noticed that Marianne Bradley seemed much more content. Not depressed, not suicidal. Full again.

"Miss Bradley, wait!" A voice said, and Martha watched as John ran after her. Marianne stopped in her tracks and turned around, looking anxious.

"What is it?" She asked, thinking something bad had happened.

"I was wondering if I could accompany you." John suggested, not really knowing where she was going.

"You want to see my dance rehearsal?" She grinned. He nodded after a pause. "Well, come on then." She grinned, and John held out his arm for her to take.

"That girl's bizarre. One minute she's all moping around, really depressed, the next she's grinning away, happy as can be." Jenny said, shaking her head. "It's the drama business, it's not good for young girls."

Martha shrugged, disagreeing. She took into account Marianne's words about not letting her dream go, and she looked back up to the stars. She flinched when a green light flashed in the night sky.

"Did you see that?" She demanded urgently.

"See what?" Jenny asked.

"Did you see it though?" She asked, standing up. "Right up there, just for a second."

"Martha, there's nothing there." Jenny laughed gently. Martha shook her head, unconvinced. She looked around the pub to notice Joan Redfern rushing away from the field nearby, looking rather spooked. Martha rushed over to greet her.

"Matron, are you alright?" She asked.

"Did you see that?" Joan asked, breathless. "There was something in the woods.. this light." She rambled. "There!" She exclaimed, pointing to the green flash of light again.

"That's beautiful." Jenny breathed.

"It came down in the woods." Matron cried. Martha shook her head in disbelief, not quite knowing what it was. "Well, I'm going back up to the school. Are you joining me?" She asked, spooked by the lights.

"No, we're fine thanks." Martha said, still staring at the sky.

"Then I shall bid you good night." Matron said, rushing away back through the field and up to the school.

On the train to the city, Marianne and John had done nothing except discuss their dreams and avoid Marianne's fans. Marianne had finally learnt John's real name, and John had been told to call her Marianne, instead of Miss Bradley.

He'd watched her dance in some kind of trance, she completely dissociated when she danced, he noted. Ballet was clearly her forte.

When she'd finished, and gone to change back into her day clothes, she grinned as she walked over to him.

"That was beautiful." He told her, still quite shocked.

"Ah. Thank you." She said, embarrassed.

"Quite something." He told her again as they waited for their train back. They were both leaning against the stone wall, with another ten minutes before the train was due to arrive. She laughed quietly, watching with her doe eyes as he moved closer to her, towering over her with his tallness. He put a hand on her cheek, his fingers reaching all the way behind her ear, and he kissed her sweetly and quite deeply. She responded by linking her arms around his neck and kissing him back. They were only stopped by their own embarrassment.

"Thanks." He told her.

"You don't have to say thanks." She laughed. And they waited for their train in a new found comfortable silence.

"There you are, nothing there. I told you so." Jenny told Martha as they stood in the woods, looking for whatever that green light was.

"And that's Cooper's Field?" Martha asked, double checking.

"As far as the eye can see, and no falling star. Now come on, I'm frozen to the bone, let's go. As your Mr Smith says, 'Nothing to see,'" Jenny turned and walked away, but Martha gave one last look before sighing and following her friend.

The next day, Martha rode her bike through fields towards an old stone barn where the TARDIS had been stored. She pushed the wooden door open and smiled as she walked in. She reached around her neck and pulled out a chain with her TARDIS key shining on the end. She unlocked the door and walked into the dark console room.

"Hello." She said quietly, smiling as the TARDIS faintly hummed to her. "I'm talking to a machine..." She muttered. She took of her gloves and headed for the console. She sighed and looked up at the time rotor, dormant. She closed her eyes and dove into her memories.

_"Look out!" The Doctor cried, and Martha dove to the floor, dodging the fountains of sparks from the console. _

Martha walked around the console towards the monitor.

_"They can follow us wherever we go. Right across the universe." Marianne breathed._

_"And they're never gonna stop. Martha, do you trust us?" The Doctor asked._

_"Of course I do." Martha nodded._

_"Cause it all depends on you." Marianne told her._

__Martha walked one more lap around the console.

_"Martha, these watches... They're us." The Doctor told her. Martha took the watches from him, confused._

_"Right, okay. Gotcha. No, hold on! Completely lost!" Martha frowned._

_"Those creatures are hunters. They can sniff out anyone." Marianne called as she worked on the console. "And us being Time Lord's.." She laughed dryly._

_"They can track us down across the whole of time and space." The Doctor added._

_"And the good news is?" Martha laughed in disbelief._

_"They can smell us, they haven't seen us. And their life's bound to be running out- so, we hide, wait for them to die." The Doctor explained._

_"But they can track us down." Martha reminded them._

_"That's why we've got to do it. We have to stop being Time Lords and start being human." Marianne said, looking terrified._

__Martha looked sadly up at the two strange headsets dangling from the TARDIS.

_The Doctor reached up and grabbed the two headsets as they fell down._

_"Never thought I'd use these. All the times I've wondered." He marvelled._

_"What does it do?" Martha asked, curious._

_"Chameleon Arch." Marianne explained. "Rewrites our biology. Literally changes every single cell in our bodies. It's on human." _

_The Doctor grabbed the watches from Martha, and put one in each headset._

_"Now, the __TARDIS__ will take care of everything. It'll invent a life story for us, it'll probably be slightly weird. It can't do the same for you, Martha. You'll have to improvise. We should have enough residual awareness to let you in." The Doctor explained._

_"But... hold on, if you're gonna rewrite every single cell, isn't it going to hurt?" Martha asked._

_"Oh, yeah. It hurts." The Doctor said grimly._

__Martha's thoughts flickered back and forwards between past and present, picturing the Doctor and Marianne screaming and writhing in pain as they changed, with her only watching helplessly. Turning away from the memory, Martha activated a few controls on the monitor to show a display of the Doctor and Marianne addressing the camera.

"This working?" The Doctor asked, tapping the camera. "Martha, before we change, here's a list of instructions for when we're humans. One, don't let us hurt anyone." The Doctor began. "We can't have that, but you know what humans are like."

"Two," Marianne picked off, "don't worry about the TARDIS. We'll put it on emergency power so they can't detect it, just let it hide away."

"Four, no, wait a minute, three. No getting involved in big historical events." The Doctor added.

"Four. You. Don't let us abandon you." Marianne smiled into the camera. Martha frowned and twisted a dial, speeding up their speech.

"But there was a meteor, a shooting star- what am I supposed to do then?" Martha cried, frustrated. She let go of the dial.

"And twenty three. If anything goes wrong, if they find us, Martha, then you know what to do. Open the watches." The Doctor said seriously. "Everything we are is kept safe in there. Now, I've put a perception filter on it so the human versions of us won't think anything of it. To them, it'll just be a watch."

"But don't open it unless you have to. Because once it's open, then the Family will be able to find us. It's all down to you Martha. Your choice." Marianne finished. They both walked off screen, only for Marianne to bound back on screen, grinning wildly.

"Oh, and thank you!" She exclaimed, waving at her and running away again. The display went back to normal.

"I wish you'd come back." Martha whispered. "I've got a fumbling History teacher and a famous starlet who's depressed instead of my best friends."


	16. Chapter 16

Marianne Bradley was back at the school, doing her final pep speech for the younger students. As she wandered to the entrance, she stopped and watch John teach the young boys how to shoot guns. She frowned and walked over.

"Cease fire!" John roared when he spotted her walking into the way of the bullets. The boys stood back from their guns immediately. John strolled over to her.

"Hello Miss Bradley." He said, blushing about the previous nights occurrences.

"You don't have to call me Miss Bradley. I think we're past the formalities." Marianne smirked, watching as he blushed even more of an incarnadine shade.

"Yes. Quite right. Step back." He advised, and she stood behind him as the boys began shooting again.

"Sir! There's a stoppage, immediate action." Hutchinson said, glaring at Latimer, the young boy who had the Doctor and Marianne's fob watches. "Didn't I tell you Sir, this stupid boy is useless! Permission to give Latimer a beating, Sir?" He asked.

"Permission granted." John said.

"No. He can come with me." Marianne said, looking down at the small boy through her lashes. "He can spend the afternoon with me." She smiled.

"Quite so." John said, and Marianne gestured to Timothy Latimer to follow her. She'd had a dream that applied to the boy. "Marianne!" John exclaimed as she began walking away. She walked over, and he took her to one side. "Marianne, I was.. Uh.. Wondering if you'd like to go to the village dance with me tonight?" He asked. Marianne frowned.

"It's not really my thing.." She muttered.

"Please. Or I'll have to ask Nurse Redfern." He sighed, knowing she'd go with him now.

"Fine." She sighed after pausing. "You're a mean man, John Smith." She told him before walking away once more.

"Miss Bradley, where are we going?" Timothy asked, following the woman as she strolled away quickly from John.

When they were far away, she stopped and bent down. "Timothy, please could I see the watches you have?" She asked, not saying it unkindly but clearly being serious. Timothy nodded and dug into his pocket, pulling them both out.

"They talk to me, Miss." He told her.

"That's funny. They should be talking to me." She said, stroking them and standing up straight.

"Miss, how did you know I have them?" Timothy asked, watching as the actress looked pained.

"I had a dream that you'd stolen them." She told him, looking quite angry.

"Sorry, Miss." Timothy apologized. She handed them back.

"Well, you're doing a good job looking after them." She smiled. "Keep up the good work." She told him, as he put them back in his pocket. "Now you're going to have to spend the rest of the afternoon with me, I hope you don't mind." She said, walking back the way they came.

"Not at all, Miss Bradley." Timothy grinned, running to catch up with her.

Marianne and John were drinking tea and discussing their dreams (stopping only to kiss occasionally), when Martha burst into the office.

"They've found us. They've found us and I've seen them- they look like people, like us, like normal. I'm sorry, but you've got to open the watches." Martha cried, running to the mantel and looking for the watches. "Where are they?" She asked when she saw they were gone. Marianne looked down, knowing full well where they where. "Oh, my God. Where've they gone? Where are the watches?"

"What are you talking about?" John asked, amused.

"You had a watch, both of you, fob watches. Right there!" Martha exclaimed angrily.

"Why would Marianne leave her fob watch with me?" John asked.

"Ah. But we need it. Oh my God. Doctor, we're hiding from aliens. And they've got Jenny and they've... possessed her or copied her or something and you've got to tell me, where are the watches?" Martha demanded.

"Oh, I see. Cultural differences.." John muttered to Marianne. She frowned at him. John picked up his journal. "It must be so confusing for you. Martha, this is what we call a story." Marianne smacked his arm lightly.

"Oh you complete... THIS is not you, THIS is nineteen thirteen." Martha said, waving her fingers to indicate the both of them.

"Good. This IS nineteen thirteen." John nodded, patronisingly.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry but I've got to snap you out of this." Martha sighed, leaning forwards and slapping John, causing Marianne to laugh incredulously. "Wake up!"

"Martha!" John exclaimed, touching his cheek.

"You're coming to the TARDIS with me." Martha said, grabbing their hands to pull them along. John had had enough.

"How dare you! I'm not going anywhere with an insane servant! Martha you are dismissed, you will leave these premises immediately. Now get out!" John exclaimed.

"TARDIS." Marianne breathed. Martha nodded at her, hopeful. But John had kicked her out before she had the chance to urge Marianne along even more.

John knocked on Marianne's front door to her large, grand house. He heard random bangings inside the house and he frowned when she opened the door, she'd clearly been in a rush to get ready, not that you could tell by looking at her.

She was wearing a knee length black dress, with fringe on the arms and beading on the collar. She also had a fur shawl draped over her shoulders, with her hair half up and half down, and her usual red lipstick on. John smiled, all the other women would be wearing floor length dresses that were stiff and hard to dance around in, but he'd be dancing with Marianne, who looked lovely.

"You look.. Marvellous." John grinned, as she took his arm.

"Thank you." She smiled.

As they walked, Marianne decided to quiz him on his dancing skills.

"You'd best give me some warning, can you actually dance?" She grinned.

"Um.. I'm not certain." He mumbled, after thinking for a second. Marianne grinned.

"There's a surprise. Is there anything you're certain about?" She asked.

"Yes." He said, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "Yes."

"Spare a penny for the veterans of Crimea, sir?" An old man asked at the entrance to the village hall.

"Yes, of course." He said, handing the man a few coins. "There you go." He smiled, and John led the way inside.

He felt angry when he saw most of the men inside turn and stare at Marianne, but he followed her lead and ignored them.

When it was time to dance, Marianne was quietly excited.

"You can dance!" She exclaimed, as they waltzed through the hall, ignoring the glares being sent her way by young girls and old wives.

"I've surprised myself." He grinned, before dancing into another couple. "Sorry." He frowned.

Marianne and John were sat in a booth, talking and laughing and drinking when Matron walked into the hall, looking downcast on her own. She smiled when Marianne waved her over and she took her seat.

"Hello." She grinned.

"Hello Joan." Marianne smiled.

"I'll go and get you a drink, Joan." John smiled, walking over to the bar. Marianne was about to launch into some conversation when Martha took her chance and walked over to them.

"Please, don't. Not again." Joan frowned, while Marianne simply smiled.

"They're different from any other people you've ever met, right?" Martha asked her.

"Yes." Joan agreed.

"And sometimes they say these strange things, like people and places you've never heard of, yeah? But it's deeper than that. Sometimes when you look in his eyes, and you think of her spirit, you know - you just know that there's something else in there. Something hidden. Right behind the eyes, something hidden away. In the dark." Martha told her quickly, while Marianne spaced out, thinking of what she was saying and drinking it all in.

"I don't know what you mean.." Joan insisted, although she did. Right now, for example, Marianne had a pained look on her face as she drifted off into space, and John did the exact same thing.

"I do." Marianne said quietly.

"Yes, you do!" Martha grinned.

"Tell me more." Marianne said gently, looking up at Martha in a new way, as if they were best friends again.

"Um.. Okay." Martha smiled, digging in her bag and pulling out the sonic screwdriver. "Name this."

"Sonic screwdriver." Marianne said, her old accent coming through again, replacing her new, whimsical accent.

"Great! What does TARDIS stand for?" Martha urged.

"Time and Relative Dimension in Space!" Marianne exclaimed, leaping to her feet and grinning at Martha.

"More. Okay... How old are you really?"

"Eight hundred and ninety." She said, her eyes widening, the actress Marianne being horrified as she remembered her true age.

"More?" Martha asked. Marianne nodded. She needed to come back, not in body, but in mind. "Okay.. Something about me. What's my brother called? And my sister?"

"Leo and Tish." Marianne grinned. Joan frowned at the unusual names. She also frowned at Marianne's odd behaviour. "Martha!" Marianne shrieked. "I'm back! Do you have my necklace?" She asked urgently. Although she hadn't turned back into a Time Lady yet, she had to be careful, especially where the Family of Blood was concerned. Martha nodded and dug in her bag again and pulled out Marianne's quickly put together perception filter, which she'd asked Martha to take everywhere with her in case she'd need it. She quickly tied it around her neck and sat down again, feeling exhausted at the revelation.

"Oh, now, really. Martha. This is getting out of hand. I must insist that you leave." John said, walking over with their drinks, upon not seeing what Marianne had done. Marianne motioned to Joan that she shouldn't mention anything that happened. Martha held out the sonic and showed it John.

"Do you know what this is? Name it. Go on, name it." Martha demanded. John took it from her and stroked it.

"John. You can do it. I did." Marianne urged quietly.

"You're not John Smith. You're called the Doctor. The man in your journal, he's real. He's you." Martha told him, smiling fondly at the memories she had in her mind.

"Marianne?" John asked."What's the meaning of this?"

"You can do it." She said again. "Remember. Martha needs us, and I'm back." She told him. "And what the hell am I wearing?" She demanded, looking down at her clothes disgustedly. She stripped herself of her shawl and threw it down, she also tore of her pearls that adorned her ears and wrists.

"You're back, what does that mean?" John demanded, looking at her as if he remembered, but he didn't quite want to.

The sound of people shrieking and a hat rack being knocked over caused the intense conversation to stop. Martha slyly grabbed the sonic from John and hid it away.

"There will be silence! All of you!" Mr Clarke, the Father of the Family, shouted. "I said silence!" Baines and Jenny also walked in, flanked with Scarecrows.

"Mr Clarke, what's going on?" A man shouted. Mr Clarke turned a shot the man, dissolving him into nothing. Joan shrieked, covering her mouth with a shaking hand.

"Mr Smith, everything I told you, just forget it! Don't say anything." Martha hissed.

"We asked for silence! Now then. We have a few questions for Mr Smith." Baines roared, smirking as he spoke, his head tilted to the side slightly.

"No, better than that." A little girl spoke up, skipping to her Family with a red balloon in her hand. "The teacher. He's the Doctor. And the actress, she's another Time Lord." She breathed.

"You took human form." Baines stated.

"Of course we're human, we were born human!" Marianne shouted angrily, thanking her actress self that she was an actual decent actress now.

"And human brains too! Simple, thick and dull." Baines sneered.

"They're no good like this." Jenny agreed.

"We need Time Lords." Clarke grinned.

"Easily done." Baines assured his Family. He stepped forwards and aimed the gun at John, who backed away as people shrieked. "Change back."

"I don't know what you're talking about." John insisted, terrified that things would end right when they were becoming good.

"Change back!" Baines roared.

"I literally do not know-" John shouted. Jenny grabbed Martha, eyeing Marianne up eagerly, knowing she'd want to save her friend. Which she did, as it goes. What made it worse was that Jenny then aimed her gun at Martha.

Marianne rushed forwards, walking in her usual way instead of the graceful walk that the actress had used. "You let her go." She growled. "Or I don't change back. And neither will John. And what will you do then?" She demanded. Jenny glared at her, before motioning to Baines. Baines then grabbed John quickly and pointed the gun at his head.

"What are you talking about?" John demanded, his voice high pitched as he went in shock.

"Stand back or I'll shoot him." Baines said. "I don't care if he's Time Lord."

"Stand back." Martha told her gently. Marianne nodded and stepped back, still watching the Mother and Brother of the Family eagerly and angrily.

"Have you enjoyed it, Marianne? Doctor? Being human? Has it taught you wonderful things, like how to fall in love? Are you better, richer, wiser? Then let's see you answer this, Marianne. Which one do we kill? Teacher or Maid? Your Sacred Bond or your best friend? Your choice." Baines sneered.

"Make your desicion, Miss Bradley." Jenny added.

"Perhaps if that human heart breaks, The Time Lady will emerge." Baines added.

"Oh, I'm already here in mind. You're just missing my body." Marianne grinned, knowing she had the ultimate upper hand. Marianne nodded to Latimer, who opened the Doctor's watch.

"Time Lord..." The watch whispered.

"It's him!" Baines roared, and using the distraction, Marianne shoved Jenny away from Martha and grabbed her gun, pointing it at her head. Martha then did the same to Baines and got his gun, letting John get free.

"One more move and we shoot." Marianne warned.

"Oh, the actress is full of fire!" Baines roared.

"You think she is, you oughta see me mate." Martha grinned, digging the gun further into Baine's temple.

"Ah, and the lowly maid is full of fire also! Marvellous!"

"Yeah. Shut up." Marianne snapped, shooting the ceiling to prove her seriousness. John watched in horror, distraught by Marianne's transformation.

"Careful, Son of Mine. This is all for you so that you can live forever." Clarke told his Son.

"Shoot you down!" Baines roared.

"Try it and we die together." Martha bravely retorted.

"Would you really pull the trigger? You both look too scared." Baines sneered. Marianne swallowed.

"Scared and holding guns. You wanna risk it?" She shouted, tightening her grasp on the gun. Baines turned to look at Marianne, wanting nothing more that to consume her energy. But he couldn't. Baines nodded, knowing the humans had gotten the better of him.

"Very well." He said.

"John, get everyone out. Joan, help him." Marianne called over. "Do it!" She shouted when neither moved.

"Do what she says. Everybody out now." Joan said, ushering everyone out. "Don't argue, Mr Jackson, they're mad. That's all we need to know. Susan, Miss Cooper, outside, all of you!"

The villagers rushed to the doors, panic stricken and screaming.

"Marianne." John said, his voice breaking as he did so. She turned to look at him harshly, and he frowned away from the loveless eyes. He nodded and turned to Latimer. "Move yourself, boy. Back to school, quickly."

"And you. Go on, get out!" Martha told him.

"What about you two?" John asked, swallowing hard when he saw Marianne with the odd looking gun.

"Mr Smith, I think you should concentrate on getting everyone out, don't you?" Martha asked.

"But Marianne... You're not safe." He insisted, wanting to take her away from this... Monstrosity and make her safe. Safe with him.

"Neither are you. Now leave, we won't be long." Marianne told him harshly, keeping her eyes on the Family at all times.

"Don't you try anything, or your Family gets it." Martha said through gritted teeth. Jenny smirked at her.

"I should have taken her form, much more fun. So much spirit." She grinned.

"What happened to Jenny? Is she gone?" Martha asked, backing away as the two members left of the Family advanced on them both.

"She is consumed. Her body's mine." Jenny said, brushing her hands down her long blue coat.

"Murderer." Marianne spat.

"Like you haven't killed Time Lord." Jenny hissed back at her. A Scarecrow grabbed Martha, causing Marianne to yell in anger.

"Get the guns!" Baines roared to his Family, and Marianne and Martha took this as their cue to leave.

They ducked out the hall and into the street, sprinting away as fast as they could to get back to school, holding hands as they did so. As they ran they noticed John and Joan waiting for them, unsure as to what they should do. Also, John was terrified for Marianne's life.

"Don't just stand there, move! God, you're useless as a human! Come on!" Marianne called, grabbing his arm and running with him. John felt on the brink of tears upon hearing Marianne call him a useless human, as if she were from another world herself.

Once they got to the school, John closed the heavy wooden door and bolted it, and dashed to the large warning bell and rang it.

"What're you doing?" Martha asked.

"Maybe one man can't fight them, but this school teaches us to stand together. Take arms! Take arms!" John roared, still ringing the bell as the students grabbed guns and handed them out to their friends, getting ready to launch an attack on the Family.

"You can't do that!" Marianne protested.

"You want me to fight, don't you?" John demanded, looking at Marianne angrily. "Take arms! Take arms!"

"I say sir, what's the matter?" Hutchinson asked, looking bleary eyed as he rushed down the stairs from his dorm.

"Enemy at the door, Hutchinson. Enemy at the door. Take arms!" John shouted, and continued handing out weapons and bustling the children to get ready. "Maintain position over the stable yard."

"They're just boys, you can't ask them to fight! They can't win this war!" Marianne said, grabbing John's lapels and pulling his face to hers, trying to get her point across. He ignored her words, simply kissing her passionately before moving away from her.

"Faster now! That's it." John encouraged, patting his brave students on the back as they grabbed their weapons.

"They don't stand a chance." Martha said quietly.

"They're Cadets, Miss Jones. They are trained to defend the King and all his properties." John insisted, glaring at his unruly servant with his chocolate eyes. The headmaster soon rushed into the room, appalled and intrigued by all the noise, the shouts and the yells.

"What in thunder's name is going on? Before I devise an excellent and endless series of punishments for each and every one of you, could someone please explain very simply and immediately what is going on?" The headmaster demanded, fuming at being woken up. "And Miss Bradley, what are you doing here?" He asked, covering himself up a little more, as he was in his night wear, when he spotted her. She ignored him.

"Headmaster, I have to report the school is under attack." John said sourly, looking up at the man with doe eyes.

"Really? Is that so? Perhaps you and I should have a word in private." The headmaster frowned, blinking rapidly as he took in the sight of John looking terrified, handing out guns to his students.

"I promise you, Sir. I was in the village with Marianne. It's Baines, sir. Jeremy Baines and Mr Clarke from Oakham Farm. They've gone mad, Sir. They've got guns. They've already murdered people in the village. I saw it happen." John insisted, trying to prove his sanity.

"Marianne, is that so?" The headmaster asked. Marianne nodded. "Matron?" The headmaster then asked, turning to Joan.

"I'm afraid it's true, sir." She said sadly.

"Murder on our own soil?" He asked, and the two girls nodded.

"I saw it, yes." Joan agreed.

"Perhaps you did well, Mr Smith. What makes you think the danger's coming here?"

"Baines threatened Mr Smith and Miss Bradley. Said he's follow them. We don't know why." Joan spoke up sourly.

"Very well. You boys, remain on guard. Mr Snell, telephone the police. Mr Philip's, with me. We shall investigate." The headmaster said, marching through his students to get to the large wooden door.

Martha stood in his way to stop him. "It's not safe out there, Sir."

The headmaster simply pushed her out of the way and continued walking. Marianne frowned at that, and decided to go and visit her small friend, Timothy Latimer. Whatever she did, she couldn't watch as her Doctor shot bullets and fired guns. It wasn't right.

She found him in a small alcove in a hallway, crouched down with her fob watch.

"Hello." She smiled, sitting next to him.

"Hello, Miss Bradley." He replied, pocketing the watches and pretended he hadn't been listening to them.

"Call me Marianne. I'm back now, Timothy." She explained, knowing that he'd understand if he'd been listening to her watch.

"Do you want it back?" He asked her. She picked it up and breathed heavily. It finally talked to her again.

"Hold me. Keep me safe. Keep me dark. Keep me closed. The time is not right." The watch told her. She shrugged and handed it back to Latimer, he seemed to be doing a good job of keeping it safe and sound for her.

They both looked down at the students lined up in the halls when they heard a loud bang. Someone had been shot, Marianne noted.

"Mr Philips has been murdered, Mr Smith. Can you tell me why?" They heard the headmaster demand, somewhat scared and more than a little furious.

"Honestly, sir, I have no idea. And the telephone line's been disconnected. We're on our own." John said, and Marianne's heart beat faster when she heard his distraught voice.

"If we have to make a fight of it, then make a fight we shall. Hutchinson, we'll build a barricade within the courtyards, fortify the entrances, build our defences. Gentlemen, in the name of the King, we shall stand against them." The headmaster barked.

"Yes sir!" The boys shouted back, saluting him proudly. The headmaster walked out, and the boys followed to help out with the defences.

Timothy looked at Marianne, who was watching John and looking pained.

"You really love him, don't you? Go. Don't worry about me. I'll keep you both safe." He said, stroking the two watches. She nodded before squeezing his shoulders and rushing to John's side.

As they both walked into an adjoining room, they noticed that Joan was in her Matron's uniform.

"You're with Armitage and Thwaites. They know the drill." John ordered, before turning to Joan. "Joan, it's not safe."

"I'm doing my duty, just as much as you." She said.

"I'll help." Marianne nodded, walking to her and helping her set up the medical equipment.

"What do you know of medicine?" Joan sneered.

"Quite a lot more than you, I imagine." She replied, not in the mood for petty jealousy between them. And for what, John? She could have John. John wasn't a patch on the Doctor, Marianne thought. Besides, John won't be around for long.

John looked on, saddended at the sight of the two of them. "Marianne. Come here." He said. She did so, and he wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her into a hug. He rested his head on hers and he felt like the Doctor again.

"Those boys, John. They're children. John Smith wouldn't want them to fight, never mind the Doctor. The John Smith I was getting to know, he... You. You know it's wrong." Marianne told him, before walking back to Joan.

"Mr Smith!" The headmaster called.

"What choice do I have?" He asked, his voice breaking as he talked. He rushed to her, kissed her forehead and ran back to help the headmaster and his students.

"We can't fight right now, Miss Bradley. We have to do our job, and as much as you're harsh, I admire you for that. Now we need to do what's right." Joan told her.

"Call me Marianne." Marianne replied, and Joan smiled, knowing that was Marianne's way of apologizing. They both nodded at each other, a silent truce forming, and Marianne grabbed her hand and pulled her to the window, where they watched the fighting.

Scarecrows.

"They're fighting Scarecrows?" Joan demanded. The boys shot at the things, causing them to twist inhumanly, and convulse on the floor.

"Look. John's not shooting." Marianne said, pointing it out. She was right. Everyone else was firing away, except John, who looked pained.

They stopped firing, however, when a little girl, the Daughter of the Family, ran up the path to the school, carrying her red balloon.

"You child, come out of the way. Come into the school. You don't know who's out there. It's the Cartwright girl, isn't it? Come here. Come to me." The headmaster said kindly, causing Marianne to launch from her spot and run outside.

"Mr Rocastle, don't go near her!" She heard Martha cry.

"You were told to be quiet." The headmaster snapped.

"Hey! Nobody talks to my best friend like that, especially when she's the only one around here, bar me and Joan, who's talking any sense! Don't go near her." Marianne shouted angrily.

"I agree, I think... I think you should stay back, Headmaster." Joan added, who'd also run outside and joined the other girls.

"Mr Smith." Martha said, urging for him to speak up too.

"She was... She was with.. With Baines in the village." John assured the headmaster, squinting at the little girl, Lucy Cartwright.

"Mr Smith, Miss Bradley, I've seen many strange sights this night but there is no cause on God's earth that would allow me to see this child in the field of battle, sir." He shouted, frowning at the group. "Come with me." He smiled to Lucy, who then grinned a bitter sweet grin at him.

"You're funny." She giggled, causing Marianne to frown.

"That's right. Now take my hand." The headmaster smiled, outstretching his hand to try and pull the young girl into safety.

"So funny." Lucy laughed, ignoring his hand and reaching into her coat, pulling out a gun and shooting the headmaster. "Now who's gonna shoot me- any of you, really?" Lucy demanded.

"Put down your guns." John told his students, lowering his own rifle and moving so he was standing in front of the girls.

"But sir, the Headmaster-" Hutchinson protested, looking in horror at the remaining dust of his Headmaster.

"I'll not see this happen. Not anymore. You will retreat... in an orderly fashion back through the school. Hutchinson, lead the way." John instructed, swallowing loudly.

"But sir-" Hutchinson protested.

"Do as he said!" Marianne shouted angrily. Hutchinson meekly nodded and motioned for the rest of the boys to follow him inside, to then get to the back and away from this nightmare.

"Go on, then. Run!" Baines shouted happily as he entered and stood next to his Sister. He fired his gun into the air. Some of the boys yelled, scared, as they continued to file into the school.

"Come on!" Martha urged them.

"Let's go! Quick as you can!" John urged.

"Don't go to the village, it's not safe!" Martha reminded them.

"And you, ladies!" John exclaimed, trying to push them back into the school, but knowing that deep down, they wouldn't move.

"Not until we get the boys out." Joan protested quietly, watching with horror in her eyes as the boys panicked.

When they'd reached the stables to get back into school somehow, John stopped.

"Now, I insist. The three of you must go. If there are any more boys inside, I'll find them." John assured the three, to bet met by raised eyebrows. Nobody was leaving him. John opened the door to the passage to school, only to slam it shut upon seeing Scarecrows. Marianne grabbed the sonic from Martha's pocket and used it on the door, keeping it locked tightly.

"Retreat!" She yelled, pocketing it herself and leading the group away from the stables. They headed towards the woods, Marianne having a goal in mind. Get to the TARDIS and... Well, that was all she had.

"Doctor! Marianne!" They heard Mr Clarke shout in a sing song voice. They all stopped running and looked around for the man. Marianne continued walking, knowing that with her luck, he'd have found the TARDIS. And sure enough, he was stood in front of the blue box. "Come back, Marianne! And bring the Doctor. Come home. Come and claim your prize."

"Out you come, the both of you! There's a good Time Lord. Come to the Family." Baines added, smirking.

"Time to end it now!" Jenny shrieked.

"You recognise it, don't you?" Martha asked John gently, as he stared at the box with mild horror. Marianne turned to him, anxious for him to remember, because she didn't have a clue what to do next.

"Come out, Doctor! Come out, Marianne! Come to us!" Jenny shouted.

"I've never seen it in my life." John protested quietly.

"I'm sorry, John. But you wrote about it. The blue box. You dreamt of a blue box." Joan said quietly, coming to terms with the fact that everything Miss Jones had said was true.. Absurd, but true.

John had tears in his eyes, and his hand shakily snaked into Marianne's. "I'm not... I'm John Smith. That's all I want to be. John Smith, with his life... and his job... and his love. Why can't I be John Smith? Isn't he a good man?" John asked, his voice breaking as he cried to Marianne.

"Yes he is. " Marianne sighed, knowing it to be true. But the Doctor's better, she thought dryly.

"Why can't I stay?" He sobbed.

"We need the Doctor." Martha told him, only making him feel worse. Marianne.. Marianne needed the Doctor more than she needed John, and that wasn't right. He was supposed to be all she needed.

"So what am I then? Nothing? I'm just a story." John cried, taking his hand from Marianne's and running away, desperate to get away from the girl he could never have again. Marianne sighed and rushed after him, Joan and Martha following after a tense pause.

"This way. I think I know somewhere we can hide." Joan said, running down the quiet country lanes.

"We've got to keep going." John protested, becoming out of breath.

"Just listen, for once. Listen to Joan. Follow her." Marianne snapped, and he smiled gently at her ferociousness before doing as he was told.

They soon arrived at a dark and old house. "Here we are. It should be empty. Oh, it's a long time since I've run that far." Joan said, panting as she led the way into the house.

"Who lives here?" Martha asked.

"If I'm right, no one." Joan smiled, entering the kitchen. A tea set was laid out on the kitchen table. "Hello? No one home. We should be safe here. This is the Cartwright's house. That little girl at the school, Lucy Cartwright, or her form anyway. If she came home this afternoon and if her parents tried to stop their little girl, then they were vanished." She said, putting her hand on the teapot. "Stone cold. How easily I can accept these ideas." She sighed.

John sat down on one of the wooden chairs and looked at the floor as if in a lot of pain.

"I must go to them before anyone else dies." John muttered. "With Marianne." He added.

"You can't." Joan told him, sitting down next to him. "There must be something we can do. Marianne?" She asked.

"Not without the watches." Marianne shook her head. "And Timothy Latimer's got them."

"You're the Doctor's companion, aren't you? You too, Martha. What exactly do you do for him? Why does he need you?"

"Because he's lonely." Martha shrugged sadly.

"And that's what you want me to become." John demanded.

"But it's more than that. You and Marianne are both Time Lords, the last of your kind, I believe. And you two... You're Bonded. It means you're perfect for each other. And they're in love. Very much in love. They might not admit it, and they might have this bizare love hate relationship, but they do." Martha added, causing Marianne to blush.

There was a knock at the door and Timothy Latimer entered.

"I brought you this." He said to Marianne, holding out the watches.

"Bang on time you wonderful boy." Marianne grinned, taking them both of him. She held the Doctor's out in front of John. "Hold it." She told him.

"I won't." He cried.

"Please, just hold it. For me." She pleaded.

"It told me to find you both. They want to be held." Timothy said sincerely.

"You've had these watches all this time? Why didn't you return them?" Joan demanded.

"Marianne told me to keep them safe. They said the time wasn't right, as so did she." Timothy smiled at the girl, who smiled back. "And I was waiting. And I was scared of them both." He added, now frowning.

"Why?" Joan asked.

"Because... I've seen them. And I didn't tell Marianne this. He's like fire and ice and rage. And she's like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun." Timothy said, a faraway look in his eye. Marianne frowned, looking slightly angry.

"Stop it." John snapped.

"They're ancient and forever. She burns at the centre of time and he can see the spin of the universe." Timothy added.

"Stop! I said stop it." John roared.

"And they're both wonderful." Timothy smiled brightly, causing John's eyes to widen. Joan reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the journal of impossible things.

"I've still got this. The journal." She smiled sadly.

"Those are just stories." John protested.

"No they're not. They're completely true. Isn't it brilliant?" Marianne grinned excitedly.

"No." He told her, causing to grimace. The house shook as explosions ripped through the village outside.

"What the hell?" Martha shrieked, rushing to the window and seeing fire blazing through the countryside and bombs blasting in the village.

"They're destroying the village. We need to move, Doctor." Marianne said, wincing as she realised she'd called him by the wrong name.

"That's all you see me as, isn't it? The Doctor. You don't see John Smith. That's why you kissed me, isn't it? You can't kiss your Doctor, but you can mess around with John Smith and play with his feelings. I wondered why you'd chosen me out of everyone you could have." John cried.

"That's not true, don't say things about me like that! I was human too, I didn't know who the hell you were, or who the Doctor was! So don't give me that!" Marianne shouted back, tears rising in her eyes. "Just hold your stupid watch and you might understand." She said, throwing it at him. He caught it with wonder.

"Can you hear it?" Latimer asked eagerly.

"I think he's asleep. So's Time Lady Marianne. Waiting to awaken." John said.

"Why did he speak to me?" Timothy asked. Marianne opened her mouth to speak but John beat her to it.

"Oh, low level telepathic field. You were born with it. Just an extra synaptic engram causing-" He said in his normal, Doctor voice. He stopped and gasped at himself. "Is that how he talks?" He demanded.

"That's him!" Martha exclaimed happily. "All you have to do is open it and he's back."

"You knew this all along and yet you watched Marianne and I-" John asked, disappointed in her.

"I didn't know how to stop you! He gave me a list of things to watch out for and that wasn't included." Martha explained.

"Falling in love? That didn't even occur to him?" John asked.

"He's already in love. Don't you see? You want to continue loving Marianne as John, but you can continue loving Marianne through the Doctor." Martha said sadly.

"So now you expect me to die?" John turned back to Marianne, who blinked and looked at her watch.

"I'm ready. I don't know about you. I'm ready for my normal body again." She said, getting ready to crack open the watch.

"It was always going to end. The Doctor said the Family's got a limited lifespan. I've only just met him, but I've known Marianne for ages. I trust her. And so do you. Listen to her." Martha said, watching as she opened it.

"So your job was to execute us?" John asked Martha.

"People are dying out there! They need the both of you, and so do I. 'Cause you've got no idea of what he's like. He's everything to me and he doesn't even look at me, but I don't care 'cause I love him to bits. And I hope to God neither of them will remember me saying this." Martha said, watching out of the corner of her eye as Marianne's eyes glowed gold, the Time Lord energy pouring into her, changing her. John cried out when she screamed in pain.

She snapped her head down once it was done, and looked at him, with the golden energy still lingering in her eyes. She grinned at him.

"And I'm back!" She laughed.

"Oh, you look the same." John cried, tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Come on. Come back. Come to me." Marianne urged, trying to get rid of the colour in her eyes as to avoid intimidating him. "Would you leave us alone please?" She asked. They nodded and left. She pulled John into a tight hug, squeezing him against her chest hard.

"I know you'll find the strength to do this." She admitted.

"He won't love you like I do." He said. She shrugged.

"He'll love me more. You don't know about Bonds, John. Love goes to another level." She told him, knowing he'd want exactly that.

"I want that with you." He told her, taking her hand.

"I know. And you can have, if you change back. John Smith will always be there, always." She told him, kissing his cheek repeatedly.

"I wanted to marry you, and have children. And see the world. And grow old together." John cried.

"We could never." Marianne said sadly. "Time Lord's could never have a life like that."

"And yet we could!" He exclaimed, tears still in his eyes.

"I know you'll do the right thing, no matter what." Marianne repeated, kissing his cheek one last time before handing him the watch.

"We'll blast them into dust, fuse the dust into glass and shatter them all over again!" Baines cried happily.

The Family heard a metal twang and turned just as John stumbled into the ship, two fob watches in his hand. "Just... Just stop the bombardment. That's all I'm asking. I'll do anything." He said, stumbling into the side of the ship and swiping buttons down.

"Where's your little girlfriend?" Baines sneered.

"I'm here." Marianne said harshly, walking in, pretending to lurch as the ship did and falling into more buttons, as John had done.

"Right. Well. Say please." Baines grinned.

"Please." John and Marianne said together. Jenny smiled and turned a switch.

"Wait a minute..." Jenny said, inhaling deeply. "They're still human!"

"Now I can't- I can't pretend to understand, not for a second. But I want you to know that we're innocent in all this. He made me John Smith, and she made her Miss Bradley. It's not like we had any control over it." John cried, fumbling with more buttons.

"But Marianne seems to know more than she lets on." Baines said. Marianne blinked, pretending to be innocent again.

"I did know... But then it all vanished." She said. "I don't know why." She breathed. Baines grinned.

"A Time Lord brain is too developed for human bodies so she turned back into a snivelling human." Baines agreed.

"They made themselves idiots." Jenny laughed meanly.

"Same thing, isn't it? Humans and idiots." Baines agreed.

"I don't care about the Doctor and your Family, I just want you to go. So, I've made my choice." John said, holding out the watches. "You can have them. Just take them, please! Take them away!" John cried.

"At last." Baines grinned, grabbing the watches. "Don't think this saved your lives." He added. "Family of Mine, now we shall have the lives of Time Lords." Baines said, opening the watches. "It's empty!" Baines roared.

"Well, where've they gone?" Marianne breathed, looking concerned.

"You tell me." Baines growled. Baines threw the watches, and the Doctor and Marianne both caught one with one hand.

"Oh, I think the explanation might be you've been fooled by a simply olfactory misdirection- little bit like ventriloquism of the nose." The Doctor explained, snapping back into his normal accent, posture and facial expression. Marianne did the same, standing taller and prouder.

"It has got to be said, though. I don't like the look of that hydroconometre. Do you Doctor?" Marianne asked.

"Not at all. It seems to be indicating you've got energy feedback all the way through the retro-stabilisers feeding back into the primary heat converter-" The Doctor added, his glasses on.

"Now then, if there's one thing you shouldn't have done, is let us press all those buttons. But, in all fairness, I'll give you some advice. Run!" Marianne concluded, the Doctor grabbing her hand and the two of them sprinting out the ship before it blew. The Family also ran out, following them both across the fields in panic, being thrown to the ground as their ship blew up. When they looked up, they saw the Time Lord's looking down at them.

"They never raised their voices. That was the worst thing. The fury of the Time Lords. And then we discovered why. Why this Doctor and his Bond, who had fought with Gods and Demons, why they'd run away from us and hidden- they were being kind. He wrapped my Father in unbreakable chains, forged in the heart of a dwarf star. She tricked my Mother into the event horizon of a collapsing galaxy to be imprisoned there... forever. They both still visit my sister once a year, every year. I wonder if one day they might forgive her, but there she is- can you see her? They trapped her inside a mirror, every mirror. If you ever look at your reflection and see something move behind you, just for a second, that's her. That's always her. As for me, I was suspended in time. And the Doctor put me to work, standing over the fields of England as their protector.

We wanted to live forever, so the Doctor and Marianne made sure that we did."

Martha was anxiously waiting for her friends to return to her and the TARDIS, with Timothy Latimer stood by her, also waiting.

"All right. Molto bene!" The Doctor explained as the two of them wandered over through fields to the TARDIS.

"Molto bene!" Marianne agreed.

"Everything alright then?" Martha asked.

"Very well." The Doctor smiled.

"I meant to say, back there, last night- I would have said anything to get you to change." Martha frowned, recalling how she'd admitted to loving her best friend's bond.

"Oh yeah, of course you would. Yeah." The Doctor nodded awkwardly.

"What's that?" Marianne asked. She'd been changing when Martha had said it.

"Nothing." The Doctor told her, shaking his head.

"Good." Martha smiled tightly.

"Fine." The Doctor sniffed. "And I never said thanks for looking after us. Me especially." He added, wrapping her in a big hug.

"Marianne." Timothy said from the side. "Doctor, Martha."

"Tim-Timothy-Timber." The Doctor grinned, strolling over to him, as did Marianne.

"I just wanted to say goodbye. And thank you, because I've seen the future and I now know what must be done. It's coming, isn't it? The biggest war ever." He replied, looking daunted.

"You don't have to fight." Martha said.

Marianne looked down, thinking of this young boy fighting. Maybe at the start, maybe at the end. Maybe at the greatest butchering of all, maybe at the River Somme. And the thought terrified her most of all. He didn't deserve to be there.

"I think we do." Timothy disagreed.

"But you could get hurt." Martha protested.

"So could you, travelling with them, but it's not going to stop you." Timothy smiled gently and bravely.

"Tim, I'd be honoured if I could give you this." Marianne smiled, handing him her tarnished old watch. Timothy accepted it.

"I can't hear anything." He told her.

"It's just a watch now. But keep it with you. For good luck." She smiled, bending down and kissing his cheek. "Take care." She told him, looking him right in the eye. He nodded at her, seriously. She filed in after the Doctor and Martha into the TARDIS. "You'll like this bit." She grinned. Timothy watched as the TARDIS disappeared, he looked to see it wasn't a trick, before smiling and walking back up to his school, Marianne's fob watch in hand.

A very, very long time later, Old Timothy Latimer, war hero, sat in his wheelchair and tried not to cry as the vicar in front of him recited For the Fallen by Laurence Binyan. He tried not to cry as he remembered his friends who'd died, as he pictured his comrades being sent over the top, to be shot at relentlessly.

He looked up and into the distance, looking through the flood of red poppy's until he saw what he saw every year at Remembrance Day. The Doctor, Martha and Marianne, all stood looking sadly on, fixing poppies on their lapels and smiling faintly when he met their eyes.

He waved at them, and they waved back, all looking impossibly young still. He smiled and turned back to the Vicar, and as he looked back, they were gone.


	17. Chapter 17

_London, England, Earth. Present Day._

The Doctor, Martha and Marianne were rushing down a busy London street in a black cab, the Doctor carrying a hunters bow, Marianne carrying the arrows and Martha holding a map. They sprung from it as it stopped, and the Doctor rushed off only for Martha to grab his sleeve and pull him back. Marianne rolled her eyes and grabbed the map.

"This way. We need to hurry!" She exclaimed, and they rushed off the right way again.

"Doctor! Doctor!" A young blonde woman shouted, rushing out of a shop. "Marianne?" She then asked, taking in the girl who'd been hidden behind the Doctor as she ran. The trio walked over to the woman, who was grinning like mad at the sight of them.

"Hello! Sorry, bit of a rush." The Doctor said."There's a sort of thing happening, fairly important we stop it." He grinned.

"My God, it's you, it really is you. Oh, you don't remember me do you? Although I'd have thought you would." She said, looking at Marianne who frowned.

"We don't have time for this. Migration's started." Martha said, getting ready to set off running again.

"Look, sorry. I've got a bit of a complex life. Things don't always happen to me in the right order. Gets confusing, especially at weddings. I'm rubbish at weddings. Especially my own." The Doctor rambled, earning a dig in the ribs from Marianne, trying to get him to hurry up.

"Oh, my God! It hasn't happened to you yet. Of course, you're time travellers! None of it's happened, it's in your future!" The girl exclaimed.

"What hasn't happened? I'm confused." Marianne frowned, pacing slightly.

"Doctor! Twenty minutes to red hatching!" Martha shouted.

"It was me. Oh, for God sakes. It was me all along. You got it all from me!" Sally exclaimed, looking frustrated with herself.

"Got what?" The Doctor asked.

"Okay. Listen. One day you and Martha are going to get stuck in 1969. Make sure you've got this with you. You're going to need it. Marianne, you need to meet me at a house one day. A house called Wester Drumlins. You don't mean to go there, but you do. I'll see you then." The girl laughed, delighted. Marianne smiled uncomfortably.

"Marianne, tell him!" Martha exclaimed.

"Yeah, we've got to go. Things happening. Four things actually. Four things and a lizard." Marianne rambled, pulling the Doctor's sleeve to try and get him to hurry up.

"Okay. No worries. On you go. See you around, some day." The girl grinned, waving at them.

"What was your name?" Marianne called as they quickly jogged away.

"Sally Sparrow." She called back.

"Good to meet you, Sally Sparrow." The Doctor shouted, waving as they ran away.

_Three months later_

"I can't believe you've dragged me out shopping." The Doctor groaned, watching as the two girls grinned happily as they pulled him into more shops. "London. England. Earth. When we could be anywhere. But no. We had to shop.. In _London._" He groaned.

"Stop moaning." Martha ordered, slinging a hat onto his head. He frowned and shook it off, letting it drop to the floor. "It's night time anyway, the shops will be closing soon."

And they did. In half an hour, they'd had to leave into the cold Autumn streets of England. "I'm going to get us some drinks. Stay here." Marianne told them, rushing round the corner to get into a coffee shop that lied in a rather unbusy part of town. It was one of her favourites when she actually lived in London.

She rushed to the door, ready to welcome the heat, when she'd found it closed. She'd got there too late.

"Damn it." She muttered. She sighed and backed away, deciding to walk back and find her friends.

"Ow." She heard someone mutter. She turned around and looked down a back street. At the end was a crumbling white house, with wrought iron gates surrounding it and an overgrown weed garden.

"Hello." Marianne whispered, wanting to know what was going on. She slowly walked down the back alley, hoping that someone wouldn't come out and hurt her. She continued walking until she got to the house. She looked at the name plate to see _Wester__ Drumlins_ written in fading black letters. She smiled. It was her time to shine.

She looked up at the gates to find Sally Sparrow climbing over, muttering to herself about the cold.

"Hello." Marianne shouted, causing Sally to freeze and look down. "You need help?" She asked. Sally blinked, not knowing what to say.

"Are you the police?" She asked cautiously, a piece of her blonde hair falling into her eyes.

"Why would I be the police?" She asked, grinning before following Sally and climbing up. She jumped down and helped Sally down too. "I'm Marianne." She smiled, holding her hand out for her to shake.

"Sally. Sally Sparrow." Sally smiled, shaking it. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to get in the house too. We might as well do it together." Marianne shrugged, leading the way.

The two girls kicked down some boards to get into the house, and Sally pulled out a bright torch. She turned it on and lit up the entrance, letting Marianne walk in first. The old floral wallpaper was peeling, the paint work crumbling. The carpet on the floor was dusty and ripped up in some parts.

The place smelled like a vintage shop. Sally dug in her bag and pulled out a small digital camera, taking occasionally photo's of random things.

They walked into the main room of the house, the dining room, Marianne supposed. She looked to the right to find peeling wallpaper. Sally had also seen it, and as she walked to pull it down, she found words written on the wall.

'BEWARE." was the first she found. Marianne held the torch for her, anxious to find what it would say next. Sally pulled back more. "THE WEEPING ANGEL." Was next.

"Weeping Angels." Marianne said, closing her eyes in anguish. Sally pulled off more wallpaper.

"OH, AND DUCK!" It read. "REALLY, DUCK! SALLY SPARROW, MARIANNE BRADLEY, DUCK, NOW!"

They heard glass break behind them and both the girls dove to the floor, looking at each other in surprise.

"What the hell is going on and why are our names on that wall? Did you do this?" Sally demanded angrily.

"No, I didn't. I haven't anything to do with this!" She hissed back. Sally nodded, having no choice but to believe her. Marianne picked up the stone that had been thrown at them. She stood up and looked out the window, seeing the Weeping Angel. She groaned inwardly. She didn't want to be here. Marianne moved back to the wall and pulled the last bit of paper off.

"LOVE FROM THE DOCTOR. (AND MARTHA.) 1969."

Marianne smiled. "The Doctor and Martha." She said. She then frowned when she realised that they'd probably be in 1969 by now, although how, she didn't know.

"Oh, you didn't do this but you happen to know the people who wrote this? You're not that old!" Sally exclaimed.

"Just. Believe me. I didn't do this. I know them, but it's tricky to explain." Marianne grimaced. This wasn't going to be as easy as she thought.

"You'd better come with me. I don't trust you." Sally told her angrily, taking a couple of photo's of the wall before rushing away out of Wester Drumlins.

Sally had decided to go to her friend, Kathy's, house. And she had to take Marianne with her.

"Kathy?" Sally called as they climbed the staircase in her house. They both peered down the dark corridor, frowning when they saw an open door, with a TV screen playing footage of the Doctor.

"_Your life could depend on this. Don't blink! Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink. Good luck." _The onscreen Doctor said, before the picture turned static. The two girls walked up to the monitor, looking around to find more TV screens, all with paused screens of the Doctor and also some with Martha.

"That's them. The Doctor and Martha." Marianne said gently, not wanting to freak Sally out more. Sally didn't believe her, of course. And she still had a sneaky suspicion that Marianne was behind it all. She pulled her phone out and dialled Kathy's number.

"_Hello?"_

__"Bit freaked. Need to talk. Making you a coffee. Oh, and my friend Marianne is here." Sally said, stirring the sugar into the coffee.

"_Sally Sparrow, it's one in the morning. You think I'm coming round at one in the morning?"_

"No, I'm in the kitchen. What's that on all those screens in your front room?" Sally asked, turning back to look at Marianne, who was stood in the kitchen doorway, listening to the Doctor speak.

"_Oh God, oh God. Sally, you've met my brother Larry, haven't you?"_

"No."

"_You're about to."_

"Oh my God!" Sally heard Marianne moan, before she rushed into the kitchen, looking at Sally with a confused look on her face.

"What?" Sally asked, concerned. She looked behind the girl at the man who'd just walked into the kitchen.. Completely naked.

"Okay. Not sure, but really, really hoping." The man began, looking tired and confused. "Pants?" He asked, pointing to his crotch.

"No." Sally grimaced, making sure to look at his face.

"Put them on!" A young girl in a dressing gown exclaimed angrily, shoving some pants in her brothers arms. "Put them on! I hate you! What're you thinking? Sorry. My useless brother. Hi, I'm Kathy." Kathy smiled at Marianne apologetically. She then turned to her friend and her smile fell. "Sally? What's wrong? What's happened?"

_Wester__ Drumlins_

"Okay! Let's investigate! You two and me, girl investigators. Love it." Kathy grinned energetically as they bounced up to the front door, buzzing from the coffee they'd all drank a few minutes before.

"Bit ITV." Sally said, less energetic but still amused at her friend.

"I know!" Kathy laughed. "What did you come here for anyway? And how come you two both came at the same time?" She asked.

"I was just trying to find my friends." Marianne said sadly. "They're lost."

"Oh, Marianne. I didn't know. I'm sorry." Sally bit her lip, not knowing that about her. She didn't think that her 'friends' could be the Doctor and Marianne.

"It's OK." Marianne shrugged. "Anyway, what _were_ you doing?" She asked, somewhat curiously.

"I love old things." Sally shrugged. "They make me sad."

"What's good about sad?" Kathy asked, folding her arms to try and keep herself warm.

"It's happy for deep people." Marianne grinned, causing Kathy to laugh and Sally to smirk. Marianne turned to look around the overgrown weed garden while Sally broke in again, to find a Weeping Angel staring at her. She opened her eyes wide, not daring to blink as she looked at it. As soon as Kathy and Sally walked in, Marianne bolted in after them, shutting the door quickly.

"Did you see that Weeping Angel?" Sally asked as they walked through to the dining room again. "It's moved since last night." She said. Marianne nodded, swallowing deeply. As they stood looking at the writing on the wall, Sally rubbed a hand on it.

"How can our names be written here? By people Marianne knows? How is that possible?" Sally asked.

"Maybe she's your stalker." Kathy teased, nudging Marianne. Marianne laughed.

"I swear on my life, I have absolutely nothing to do with this." She said. And it was true, she hadn't. The Doctor hadn't even let her look through Sally's photographs and the transcript she'd handed over. He said it would give her the unfair advantage.

The three girls all turned to the doorway as the doorbell rang loudly.

"Who'd come here? What are you doing? It could be a burglar!" Kathy exclaimed as Sally and Marianne both walked to the front door.

"A burglar who rings the doorbell?" Sally asked sarcastically, almost at the door. Kathy rushed after them both, bug eyed and standing slightly back. "Okay... I'll just stay here in case of... Incidents?"

Sally rolled her eyes and answered the door. A middle aged man was standing there, a thick tea-stained-looking letter in his hands.

"I'm looking for Sally Sparrow." He said. Marianne frowned.

"How did you know I'd be here?" Sally demanded angrily, leaning on the door frame as she talked. The man cowered slightly.

"I was told to bring this letter on this date at this exact time to Sally Sparrow. Oh, and Marianne Bradley." The man smiled, looking down at a piece of paper reminding him of the times and house.

"Looks old." Marianne noted, standing slightly behind Sally.

"It is old." The man smiled fondly. "I'm sorry, do either of you have anything with a photograph on it, like a driving license?" He asked apologetically. Marianne rooted in her pocket and pulled out some old and batter psychic paper. She flashed him a fake driving license, complete with photograph. He nodded and handed her the letter, which she consequently handed to Sally, seeing as it was addressed to her. Sally looked at her gratefully.

"How did you know I was coming here? I didn't tell anyone. How could anyone have known?" Sally demanded.

"It's all a bit complicated. I'm not sure I understand it myself." He shrugged. "Well, there we are. Funny feeling, after all these years." He said, feeling sad this his final connection with his grandmother had gone.

"Who's it from?" Marianne asked.

"Well, that's a long story, actually." The man smiled, looking behind her to try and check something. He felt tears well up in his eyes when he saw nobody else, only the two girls in the doorway, whom his grandmother had talked so fondly about.

"Give us a name." Sally prompted.

"Katherine Wainright. But she specified that I should tell you, prior to marriage she was called Kathy Nightingale." He nodded, blinking back his tears.

"Kathy?" Sally asked, as she heard a loud noise behind her. The man closed his eyes at the noise. Katherine had told him about her life enough times for him to know that she'd just gone to the past.

"Kathy, yes. Katherine Costello Nightingale." The man nodded.

"Is this a joke?" Marianne demanded.

"A joke?!"

"Kathy, is this you?" Sally called, directing it to her friend who was no longer standing there. She'd gone. They both looked at each other before going to look for Kathy. "Very funny. Kathy?"

_Hull_

Kathy stepped a few steps forwards in shock, her head pounding and her eyes bleary. She looked around. She was stood... In a field. A big.. Empty field. She looked in front of her to find a young man, farmer-ish, wearing a flat cap. She rushed over to him.

"Excuse me? Where am I? I was in London. I was in the middle of London." Kathy shrieked, looking around wildly.

"You're in Hull." The man replied cheerfully.

"No, I'm not." Kathy laughed.

"You're in Hull." The man repeated, nodding and tucking a newspaper under his arm.

"I'm not in Hull. Stop saying Hull." Kathy snapped angrily.

_Wester__ Drumlins_

"I made a promise." The man said sympathetically.

"Who to?" Marianne glared, running over to the man after not finding Kathy.

"My grandmother. Katherine Costello Nightingale." He replied sadly, smiling gently at the girls shocked expressions.

_Hull_

"Don't have that in London. There's no call for it. It's all Hull." The young man said, handing over his newspaper. The date was printed as '5th December, 1920.'

"1920?" Kathy breathed, grabbing hold of the newspaper with shaky hands. The man chuckled.

_Wester__ Drumlins_

"Your grandmother?" Sally demanded.

"Yes. She died 20 years ago."

Sally finally opened the letters and looked through old sepia photographs of Kathy, dressed formally in typical 20's clothes.

"So they're related?" Sally reasoned, handing the package to Marianne.

"I'm sorry?" The man frowned.

"My Kathy- your grandmother, they're practically identical." Sally shrugged

_Hull_

The man watched Kathy run away, bemused. He followed her, smirking at her. "Where are you going?" He grinned.

_Wester__ Drumlins_

_"My dearest Sally Sparrow, if my grandson has done as he promises_ _he will, then as you read these words it has been mere minutes since we last spoke. For you and Marianne. For me, it has been over 60 years. The third of the photographs is of my children. The youngest is Sally. I named her after you, of course." _The letter from Kathy read.

"This is sick! This is totally sick!" Sally exclaimed, disgusted. "Kathy? Kathy!" She shouted, louder than before. Marianne moved to the back window and looked out, looking at a Weeping Angel, its hands over its eyes. She glared at it, and looked down at the grass below it's feet, finding the long black scarf that Kathy had been wearing.

"Idiot." Marianne muttered, regarding the Angel. She snapped out of her disgust when she heard Sally sprinting up the stairs, calling for her friend. She ran after her, the same thing wasn't about to happen to her.

When they both reached the top, Marianne swallowed as she came face to face with numerous Weeping Angels, all standing there in a formation. Sally turned around at the sound of wings. She saw one of them holding a key on a thin piece of rope. She was just about to take it when they heard the front door shut.

The man had gone. "No wait! Hang on!" Sally shouted, pulling Marianne down the stairs with her. The man was quickly making his way away from Wester Drumlins. Sally walked to the door and pulled out Kathy's letter again.

"Come on. I'm not staying in this house." Sally said sadly, nodding for Marianne to follow her. _Thank God, _Marianne thought to herself, she'd never been a fan of Weeping Angels.

The two girls sat in a small, rich smelling cafe. Marianne sipped at her drink while Sally read the ending of the letter.

_"I suppose, unless I live for a really exceptional old age, I will be long gone as you read this. Don't feel sorry for me. I have led a good and full life. I've loved a good man and been well loved in return. You would have liked Ben. He was the very first person I met in 1920."_

_Hull_

"Are you following me?" Kathy demanded as she continued to run away. Ben grinned.

"Yeah." He said.

"Are you gonna stop following me?"

"No, I don't think so."

_London_

Marianne stood back, not wanting to intrude on Sally's last moments with Kathy at her grave. Sally crouched down and stroked the old headstone.

_"To take one breath in 2007 and the next in 1920 is a strange way to start a new life, but a new life is exactly what I've always wanted."_

"1902? You told him you were eighteen? You lying cow!" Sally grinned, causing Marianne to smirk. Typical human behaviour.

"_My mum and dad are gone by your time, so really there's only Lawrence to tell. He works at the DVD store on Queen Street. I don't know what you're going to say to him, but I know you'll think of something. Just tell him I love him."_

"Excuse me, we're looking for Lawrence Nightingale." Sally said politely as they stood in front of a large ginger man watching a Western on TV at the DVD shop.

"Through the back." He said, letting them through.

"Hello?" Sally called as they made their way through into the small backroom.

"**Martha!"** The Doctor exclaimed. Marianne quickly turned around to find the Doctor and Martha on screen again.

"**Sorry."** Martha apologized.

"**Quite possibly. Afraid so." **The Doctor said.

"What's going on?" Marianne asked quietly, feeling creeped out but happy to see her friends again.

"Oh. Hello. Can I help you?" A familiar voice said behind them. The two girls turned to find naked boy stood there, now dressed in jeans and a jumper.

"Hi." Sally grinned.

"**38." **The Doctor said on screen.

"Er. Just a mo." Larry said, pausing the DVD. "Hang on. We've met, haven't we?" Larry asked, looking especially at Marianne, who had shrieked at him the very same morning.

"It'll come to you." Marianne told him, grinning slightly as his face dropped and he shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh, my God!" He exclaimed, blushing furiously.

"There it is." Marianne smiled.

"Sorry. Sorry again about the whole..." He said, once again gesturing to his crotch.

"Message from your sister." Sally interrupted cheerfully. Larry nodded, looking suddenly bored. He rolled his eyes and leaned on the scratched table covered with magazines and DVDs.

"Go on." He said.

"She's had to go away for a bit. For work." Sally lied, quite well too, Marianne noted.

"It's nothing to worry about." Marianne added, Sally nodded at her gratefully.

"Okay." Larry said, happy that he'd be able to have the house to himself now.

"And..." Sally began awkwardly, smirking as she knew what his reaction would be when she told him the news.

"She loves you." Sally laughed, nodding when she saw Larry's expression.

"She what?!"

"She said to say. She just sort of.. mentioned it. She loves you. There, that's nice isn't it?" Sally asked, laughing quietly.

"Is she ill?" Larry demanded.

"No!" Marianne exclaimed.

"Am I ill?" He said, gesturing to himself with wide eyes.

"Not that I know of." Sally told him. Larry's eyes went back to the normal size.

"She genuinely loves you." Marianne smiled.

"**Yeah.. Yeah. People don't understand time. It's not what you think it is." **The onscreen Doctor said.

"Please don't say timey-wimey." Marianne prayed.

"Hang on. He does say that. How do you know?" Larry demanded.

"She says she knows him." Sally shrugged.

"You know him?!" Larry demanded, looking incredibly excited and happy. Marianne nodded. He laughed incredulously.

"Last night, at Kathy's, you had him on those screens. That same guy. Talking about, blinking or something." Sally continued, ignoring his apparent happiness.

"Yeah, the bit about blinking is great! I was checking to see if they were all the same." Larry smiled.

"Ah. Easter eggs. Am I right?" Marianne asked.

"Yes!" Larry exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" Sally asked.

"Like a DVD extra, yeah? You know how on DVDs, they put extras on, documentaries and stuff? Well, sometimes they put on hidden ones, and they call them Easter Eggs. You have to look for them, follow a bunch of clues in the menu screen." Larry shrugged.

"**Complicated."** The Doctor said in a dead pan voice.

"Sorry. It's interesting actually. He's on seventeen different DVDs. There are seventeen totally unrelated DVDs, all with him on, always hidden away, always a secret. Not even the publishers know how he got there. I've talked to the manufacturers, right? They don't even know... He's like... He's a ghost DVD extra. Just shows up where he's not supposed to be. But only on those. Those seventeen." Larry explained.

"He's called the Doctor." Marianne told him, and he grinned at the new information.

"Well, what does the Doctor do?" Sally asked, putting sarcastic speech marks around 'Doctor.'

Marianne opened her mouth to speak, but Larry got there first. "Just sits there making random remarks. It's like we're hearing half a conversation. Me and the guys are always trying to work out the other half."

"The guys.. They're on the internet aren't they?" Marianne grinned, loving every moment of this.

"How d'you know?" Larry asked, looking scared.

"Lucky guess." Marianne nodded seriously.

"**Very complicated." **The Doctor spoke up.

"Florence? Need you!" The ginger man from before called loudly.

"Excuse me a sec." Larry said, shifting past the girls and going out in the shop front.

"**People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of ****wibbly****-wobbly, ****timey****-****wimey**** stuff." **The Doctor shrugged.

"You said he would say that." Sally said, turning to Marianne, shocked.

"He says it all the time. He thinks it sounds impressive." Marianne rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well. It started well, that sentence." Sally smiled to Marianne.

"**It got away from me, yeah." **The Doctor said, rubbing his chin as he talked. Marianne frowned.

"Okay, that was weird. Like you can hear me." Sally said, moving to the TV screen.

"**Well, I can hear you." **The Doctor nodded.

"Okay, that's enough. I've had enough now. I've had a long day and I've had bloody enough!" Sally exclaimed, pausing the DVD angrily. "Sorry. Bad day." She apologized as Larry walked back into the room.

"Got you the list." He said with big eyes, handing over a small scrap of paper.

"What?" Sally asked.

"The seventeen DVDs. I thought you might be interested, especially if she knows him." Larry shrugged, and Marianne took the paper from him, trying to find a link between them all.

The Doctor had about five of them, so that couldn't be the link. There was nothing else that made them similar..

"Go to the Police, you stupid woman! Why does nobody ever just go to the police?" The man from the front of the shop called, watching his Western.

Sally and Marianne nodded at each other before quickly walking away from the shop and Larry.

~8~

_Police Station, London_

__Marianne was leaning, bored, on the back of a counter at the police station, waiting impatiently for them to do something. She was adverse to asking the police for help, she always had been. She much preferred doing things by herself.

"Look, I know how mad I'm sounding." Sally groaned.

"Shall we try it from the beginning next time?" The confused looking policeman asked.

"Okay. There's this house. Big. Old. Been empty for years, falling apart. Wester Drumlins, out by the estate. You'll have seen it." Marianne snapped, having had enough.

"Wester Drumlins?" The police man asked and Marianne nodded. "Just wait here."

"Hi! DI Billy Shipton. Wester Drumlins, that's mine. Can't talk right now, got a thing I can't be late for, so if you could just... Hello!" Billy exclaimed when the girls turned around and he saw their faces.

"Hello." Sally smiled awkwardly.

"Eh, Marice. Can you tell them I'm gonna be late for that thing?" Billy asked his PA, before smiling cheesily at the girls and leading them outside.

_Sorry it's taken so long to update, but I've been busy with my prefect duty at school, and I've also been to parties and felt... Ill afterwards and tonight was seriously the only time I could've updated. _

_Sorry guys!_

_-Fay x_


	18. Chapter 18

"What's that?" Sally asked, as she, Marianne and Billy walked over to the TARDIS.

"The TARDIS." Marianne said. "Time and Relative Dimension in Space. Oh, God. I'm turning into him." She moaned.

Sally raised her eyebrows and turned to Billy for an explanation. He shrugged. "It's a special kind of phone box for policemen. They used to have them all over. But this isn't a real one. The phone's just a dummy and the windows are the wrong size. We can't even get in. Ordinary Yale Lock, but nothing fits. But that's not the big question. See, you're missing the big question." Billy grinned.

"What's the big question?" Sally asked.

"Will you have a drink with me?" Billy asked Sally. Marianne smirked and stood back, knowing this to be a conversation strictly for the two of them.

The last thing she heard was Sally accidentally herself Sally Shipton, which obviously, was a dreadful mistake.

"Sally Shipton. Sparrow! Sally Sparrow." Sally mumbled, her face blushing immensely. She grabbed Marianne's arm and pulled her to the exit. "We're going now. Don't look at me."

"I'll phone you!" Billy called, causing Marianne to laugh.

"Don't look at me."

"I'll phone you tomorrow!"

"Don't look at me."

"Might even phone you tonight." Billy grinned. "Definitely tonight, you gorgeous girl."

"You definitely better!" Marianne winked, and he grinned back at her.

The two girls left the building, looking around before crossing the street.

"If that box is… I don't know… yours? Why didn't you unlock it?" Sally asked.

"I couldn't do that. If the police got their hands on that box they could do things that humans should never be able to do." Marianne told her sullenly. "Besides, I can't find my key." She added.

Sally dug around in her own pocket and pulled out the key that the Weeping Angel had been brandishing.

"I'm going back." She said, rushing away with the key.

"No!" Marianne yelled angrily, rushing after the girl. Sally didn't stop, and when they'd got back into the building, the TARDIS and Billy had both gone. Marianne sighed with relief, but then panicked, wondering where the TARDIS had gone.

Sally pulled out her ringing phone and answered it.

"Hello?" She asked. "Billy! Where are you?" She asked.

Her face dropped and she began pulling Marianne out into the street. She didn't hang up until they walked into the hospital.

"Billy?" Marianne asked, as they walked into the ward. He was an old man, with grey hair and wrinkles. He was also sleeping. The girls turned away and watched the continuing rain drizzle down the window.

"It was raining when we met." Billy said groggily, waking up finally.

"It's the same rain." Sally smiled. She picked up a photo next to Billy's bed and looked at it. "She looks nice." She said, pointing to Billy's daughter in the old photo.

"Her name was Sally too. Middle name Marianne." Billy grinned, thinking about his children.

"Sally Marianne Shipton." Sally grinned, blushing once more.

"Sally Shipton!" Billy laughed. "I often thought about looking for you two before tonight." Billy admitted.

"It would've torn a hole in the fabric of space and time and destroyed two thirds of the universe." Marianne nodded.

"The Doctor told me you'd say that." Billy laughed. "Also, I've lost my hair." He frowned.

"The Doctor?" Sally demanded.

"In 1969. He sent messages for the both of you."

"For you, Marianne. He said stop over thinking. He said you know what will happen, and you know it will be because you're kind. He said you'd understand, and also not to be scared because it brings you to him." Billy shrugged. Marianne's blood grew cold.

"And mine?" Sally asked.

"Just this. Look at the list." Billy nodded.

"What does that mean? Is that it, look at the list?" Sally demanded. Marianne looked through her pockets and pulled out the damp list of DVDs that Larry had given her. She handed it over.

"He said you'd have it by now." Billy smiled. "You know, I didn't stay a policeman back then. Got into publishing. Then video publishing. Then DVDs, of course." Billy winked.

"You brilliant man." Marianne grinned.

"You put the Easter Egg on?" Sally asked, bewildered.

"Have you noticed what all seventeen DVDs have in common yet? I suppose it's hard for you, in a way." Billy said.

"How could the Doctor have even known I had a list? I only just got this." Sally shouted.

"I asked him how, but he couldn't tell me. He said you'd understand one day, but that I never would." Billy said sadly.

"Soon as I understand it, I'll come and tell you." Sally promised. Marianne looked down guiltily.

"No, gorgeous girl, you can't. There's only tonight. He told me all those years ago that we'd only meet again this one time. On the night I die." Billy said sadly.

"Oh, Billy." Marianne frowned.

"It kept me going. I'm an old, sick man. But I've had something to look forward to. Ah, life is young and you are hot." Billy smirked as Sally held his hand. "Oh, look at my hands. They're old mans hands. How did that happen?"

"Marianne, you go and watch the Easter Egg. I'll stay with you. Okay?" Sally asked gently.

"Thank you, Sally Sparrow. Marianne Bradley. I have 'til the rain stops." He nodded calmly. Marianne kissed Billy's head, hugged Sally and left, intending to go to Larry's shop.

~8~

She walked into Banto's with determination, to be met by the same man watching Westerns on TV.

"I'll just…" She said, walking through to the back, where Larry was reading a magazine.

"Hi." She said, smiling and sitting down next to him.

"Oh, hello." Larry shifted uncomfortably. "What's up?"

"I need to watch the Easter Egg." She said. "Sally's orders." Larry frowned but did what she asked – as he did with all pretty girls- and put one of the DVDs on. He cracked the code and played the hidden extra.

The Doctor's face began playing.

"The Doctor." Marianne smiled.

"The Doctor?" Larry asked, looking for a definite answer to tell his 'friends.'

"The Doctor." Marianne assured him with a smirk.

"**That's me."** The Doctor nodded. Marianne knew what was going on, he had a transcript. Larry, however was freaked out.

"That was scary." Larry said.

"No, it sounds like he's replying. But he's not." Marianne assured him.

"I know, he always says that." Larry agreed, happy for her reassurance.

"**Yes, I do." ** The Doctor said.

"And that." Larry said.

"**Yep, and this."**

"He can hear you. Oh, my God. He can really hear you." Sally gasped as she walked into the room sadly, and with dry hair. It had stopped raining.

"Of course he can't." Marianne told her.

"She's right. I've got a transcript, look. Everything he says. 'Yep that's me.' 'Yes I do.' 'Yep and this.' Next it's…"

"**Are you going to read out the whole thing?" **The Doctor and Larry read out together.

"Who are you? Marianne won't give me answers." Sally frowned, sitting on the arm of the chair.

"**We're time travellers. Or we were. She's stuck there and I'm stuck here in 1969."** The Doctor frowned**. "And good on her for not telling you. That's my job."** The Doctor exclaimed causing Marianne to scoff.

"**We're stuck. All of space and time, he promised me. Marianne, I've got a job in a shop. I've got to support him!"** Martha exclaimed angrily. Marianne smiled.

"**Martha!"** The Doctor exclaimed.

"**Sorry." **She said sheepishly.

"I've seen this bit before." Sally said.

"**Quite possibly."**

"1969, that's where you're talking from?"

"**Fraid so." **

"Priceless." Marianne grinned.

"**Shut up. You'd be lost if we didn't come back. Well, forget Martha. If I didn't come back." **He said arrogantly, causing Martha to nudge him angrily and for Marianne to scoff… Again.

"But you're replying to us. You can't know exactly what I'm going to say, 40 years before I say it!" Sally exclaimed.

"**38." **Marianne and the Doctor corrected.

"I'm getting this down! I'm writing in your bits!" Larry exclaimed, scribbling down furiously.

"How? How is this possible? Tell me!" Sally exclaimed.

"Not so fast." Larry warned.

"**People don't understand time. It's not what you think it is." **The Doctor said.

"Then what is it?" Sally asked

"**Very complicated." **The Doctor frowned.

"I'm clever and I'm listening. And don't patronise me because people have died, and I'm not happy. Tell me." Sally demanded angrily.

"**People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff." **The Doctor gesticulated.

"Ah, God." Marianne moaned.

"Yeah I've seen this bit before. You said that sentence got away with you." Sally said sharply.

"**It got away from me, yeah." **The Doctor grimaced.

"Next thing you're going to say is, Well I Can Hear You."

"**Well, I can hear you."** He nodded.

"This isn't possible." Sally breathed.

"No, it's brilliant." Larry grinned.

"**Not hear you exactly, but I know everything you're going to say. Marianne, help." **The Doctor pleaded.

"Why should I?" Marianne demanded.

"**Because you need to hurry up and save us. And you need to help them. It's been awful without you." **The Doctor confided, and Martha nodded next to him for conformation.

Marianne swallowed deeply and just looked at him blankly.

"Okay." She said quietly. "Larry's recording a transcript." She said blankly. Sally looked to her left and realised.

"**I've got a copy of the finished one. It's on my Autocue." **

"How can you have a copy of the finished transcript? It's still being written." Sally insisted.

"We're time travellers." Marianne reminded her. "He got it in the future."

"Okay. Let me get this straight. You're reading from a transcript of a conversation you're still having." Sally demanded.

"**Wibbly-wobbly. Timey-wimey." **The Doctor grimaced, knowing full well that Marianne would be shaking her head at him.

"Never mind. You can write short hand?" She asked Larry, smirking.

"So?" Larry asked.

"**What matters is we can communicate. Hello! We have got big problems now. They've taken the blue box, the TARDIS, haven't they? The angels have the phone box." **The Doctor said seriously.

"Yes." Marianne replied.

"The angels have the phone box! That's my favourite. I've got it on a shirt!" Larry grinned, still excited.

"Does he mean those statue things?" Sally asked.

"Yes. Beings from another world." She and the Doctor said at the same time.

"But they're just statues." Sally insideted.

"**Only when you see them." **The Doctor stepped in.

"What does that mean?" Sally asked.

"They're the lonely assassins. No one knows where they came from." Marianne explained.

"You knew and you didn't tell me?" Sally demanded.

"**She wasn't supposed to tell you, like I said. I was! Or this transcript would never happen and you wouldn't know what you need to do." **The Doctor sighed. "**Anyway, the Weeping Angels. They're as old as the universe, or very nearly. They've survived this long as they have the most perfect defence system ever evolved. They are quantum locked. They don't exist when being observed. The moment they're seen by any other living creature they freeze into rock. No choice. It's a fact of their biology. In the sight of any living thing, they literally turn to stone. And you can't kill a stone." **The Doctor explained.

"Course, a stone can't kill you either. But then you turn your head away or you blink, and yes they can." Marianne concluded.

"**That's why they cover their eyes. They're not weeping, they can't risk looking at each other. Their greatest asset is their greatest curse. They never can be seen. The loneliest creatures in the universe. And I'm sorry, I am very, very sorry. It's up to you now." **The Doctor explained.

"What am I supposed to do?" Sally asked.

"**The blue box, it's my time machine. There is a world of time energy inside that box in there that they could feast on forever. The damage they can do could switch off the sun. You have got to send it back to me, with Marianne." **The Doctor explained, the fact that his Link would soon be transported was killing him. She was effectively dying, without the death, so to speak.

"How? Marianne, how?" Sally demanded, turning to the girl that was no longer there.

"**And that's it, I'm afraid. There's no more from you on the transcript." **The Doctor frowned, and Sally turned to Larry, who was staring after Marianne who'd sprinted out. "**I don't know what stopped you talking, but I have a feeling Marianne went to make sure she died. Which means they're coming. The angels are coming for you. Now get to that house and make sure she doesn't do that in vain. We need the box, but listen, your life could depend on this. Don't blink! Don't even blink! Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink! Good luck!" **

Before the picture had even frozen, Larry and Sally had rushed after Marianne.

~8~

When they got to Wester Drumlins, Sally knew that Marianne had been. The boards in front of the door were gone, and muddy footprints led into the hallway. They rushed in to find Marianne's long jacket she'd been wearing on the floor, in a heap. Taped to the coat was a note, and a key.

'_To Sally and Larry, I won't see you again for a long time. Years, in fact. But it's not what you expect. I'm alien; I won't die like the others did. So don't worry about that. I'm simply doing what needs to be done. Now, the key I left. I stole it from your hand when Billy rang before, Sally, sorry. But I couldn't chance you with my key. But you need to look after it now, or you won't be able to do this. I'm sure that whatever you'll have to do, you'll be able to do it and I have the greatest trust in the both of you. Just remember, don't look away from them. Don't blink, because your life could depend on it. If you're scared, think of Kathy, think of Billy. Think of me. You can do this._

_Love, Marianne. _

_p.s, I think the both of you should think about hooking up._

Sally blinked away the tears in her eyes, her last life line gone. All that was left was her and Larry.

~8~

_One year later_

Sally and Larry waved the Time Lords off as they ran after their four things and a lizard. Sally now knew what Marianne meant by she'd see her for a long time. For a time traveller, who could flit through a number of decades in one hour, one year must seem so very long.

Sally also thought of Marianne's parting words. 'I think the both of you should think about hooking up.'

Maybe being absolute in finding Marianne and the Doctor again had clouded her vision, made her oblivious to the man stood next to her. The man she was really quite fond of.

Good old Marianne.

~8~

The night they got the TARDIS back was a good night. The Doctor was happy to be away from the Swinging Sixties, Martha was glad she didn't have to support the moping and depressed Doctor anymore, and Marianne was happy to be away from the angels.

When Martha got chance, she took Marianne to one side to confide in her what had happened in the months they'd been apart.

"He didn't leave our flat. He didn't sleep, he didn't eat. And if he did sleep he called your name. He barely talked to me. He was moody as hell. I think spending this time with you has reawoken some old memories, and I think he loves you a lot more than he cares to admit." Martha admitted.

Marianne didn't reply, she simply nodded and smiled, a distant look in her eye, before she walked to the console room.


	19. Chapter 19

"Are you really not going to act upon it?" Martha demanded, following Marianne over to the console.

"No." Marianne laughed. "It's not as if I trust him, is it?" She asked. Martha rolled her eyes, desperate for the Doctor to finally have someone who suited him more than Martha herself did, no matter how much she could have seen herself in a happy relationship with the Doctor. She knew that was impossible.

"You're crazy." Martha said through gritted teeth, jumping slightly as she heard the Doctor walk in.

"Who's crazy?" He asked, oblivious as to what had just happened.

"Do something." Martha hissed to Marianne when the Doctor wasn't looking. Marianne smiled to herself and shook her head at Martha.

The Doctor messed with the controls before grinning and leading the way out. When Marianne saw where they were, she groaned.

"Cardiff?" She demanded.

"Ah, we have to stop off sometime." He told her.

"Cardiff?" Martha mirrored her friend.

"The thing about Cardiff is that it's built on a rift in time and space, just like California and the San Andreas Fault. The rift bleeds energy. Every now and then I need to open up the engines and soak up the energy and use it as fuel." The Doctor exclaimed.

"So, it's a pit stop?" Martha asked dryly.

"Exactly." The Doctor grinned.

"Wait a minute, they had an earthquake in Cardiff a couple of years ago. Was that you?" Martha smirked playfully.

"Bit of trouble with the Slitheen." The Doctor frowned, recollecting his time with Rose. "Long time ago. Lifetimes. I was a different man back then." He shrugged, looking at Marianne seriously. "Anyway. Finito. All powered up." He said, leading them back into the TARDIS.

The Doctor looked on the monitor to find Jack Harkness running through the city, slowly making his way to the TARDIS. His eyes widened and he quickly set the TARDIS in motion. The TARDIS began sparking and all three passengers were thrown to the floor.

"What's that?" Martha demanded, clinging to the console with Marianne.

"We're accelerating into the future." Marianne breathed. "The year one billion. Five billion. Five trillion. Fifty trillion. What? The year one hundred trillion. That's impossible!" She exclaimed.

"Why? What happens then?" Martha asked.

"We're going to the end of the universe." The Doctor cried through gritted teeth.

Marianne frowned when she swore she heard someone shouting the Doctor's name. That would be impossible too, they were hurtling through the vortex at top speed.

The TARDIS landed with a heavy bump, and they all looked questioningly at one another.

"Well, we've landed. Best see what's going on." Marianne shrugged, slowly moving to the double doors.

"Wait, what's out there?" Martha asked, somewhat scared that she would explode by the suns rays or something. She didn't have the best understand of the Earth's demise.

"We don't know." The Doctor sighed.

"Say that again, that's rare." Martha snorted nervously.

"Not even Time Lords came this far. We should leave. We should really... Really.. Go.." He said, before grinning at Marianne and nodding for her to open the doors.

Outside the TARDIS was a bleak landscape. When they stepped out, Marianne squeaked when she nearly stood on a handsome man's hand.

"Oh hello, he's not.. He's a fact. Oh, he's making me nauseous." Marianne joked upon realising he wasn't dead, leaning on the Doctor for fake support.

"Oh my God!" Martha exclaimed rushing over to Jack's side. "Can't get a pulse. Hold on- you've got a medical kit thing." Martha told the Doctor, running into the TARDIS.

"Hello again. Oh, I'm sorry." The Doctor said to the unconscious Jack.

"You know him?" Marianne asked. "Oh! This is Jack!"

The Doctor had said a lot about Captain Jack Harkness.

"Here we go." Martha said, rushing back over. "Out of the way." She shoved them both away. "It's a bit odd, though. Not very one hundred trillion, the coat's more like World War Two." Martha noted upon looking at Jack's attire.

"I think he came with us." The Doctor smirked.

"How'd ya mean? From Earth?" Martha questioned.

"Must've been clinging to the TARDIS all the way through the vortex." Marianne shrugged.

"Well, that's very him." The Doctor laughed humorlessly.

"What, do you know him?" Martha asked.

"Friend of mine. Used to travel with me. Back in the old days."

"But he's... I'm sorry. There's no heartbeat. There's nothing. He's dead." Martha said solemnly, not understanding why Marianne was smirking and the Doctor looked unaffected.

Jack gasped and sat up straight and looked around wildly, grabbing Marianne's legs. He looked up at the girl who's naked legs he was gripping and smirked.

"Captain Jack Harkness, and who are you?" He grinned. Marianne laughed and helped him up with her hand.

"Marianne Bradley." She introduced, allowing him to kiss the back of her hand; her head tilted to the side as he did so.

"Nice to meet you, Marianne Bradley." He smirked.

"Oh, don't start!" The Doctor exclaimed angrily, causing Martha to smirk. She had a feeling that Marianne would be flirting with this man to make the Doctor jealous.

"I was just saying hello." Jack insisted, his eyebrows raised with innocence.

"Plus, I don't mind." Marianne grinned flirtily at Jack, whom winked at her in return.

Jack then shook Martha's hand and kissed it too.

"Martha Jones." She flirted, and he winked at her.

Jack let her hand go and turned to stare at the Doctor, who looked back at him coldly.

"Doctor." He said.

"Captain." He nodded.

"Good to see you." Jack said dryly.

"And you. Save as ever. Although... Have you had work done?" The Doctor asked.

"You can talk!" Jack grinned.

"Oh, yeah. The face. Regeneration. How did you know this was me?"

"The police box kinda gives it away. I've been following you for a long time. You abandoned me." Jack accused.

"Did I? Busy life. Move on." He shrugged.

"Just gotta ask. The Battle of Canary Wharf. I saw the list of the dead. It said Rose Tyler." Jack said sadly. Martha looked down awkwardly while Marianne stayed morbidly curious.

"On no! Sorry! She's alive!" The Doctor laughed.

"You're kidding?!" Jack exclaimed, relieved.

"Parallel world safe and sound. And Mickey! And her mother!" He exclaimed.

"Oh yes!" Jack laughed, grinning like a maniac. This finally broke the ice and the two men hugged each other tightly, laughing away. Marianne smiled at the boys, while Martha simply looked down, not too happy to hear Rose's name.

"Good old Rose." She said softly.

The Doctor and Martha were walking behind Marianne and Jack, the Doctor sulking like a child because Jack was only talking to Marianne. Martha was enjoying herself, carefully watching the Doctor's reaction to them both.

"So there I was, stranded in the year 200,100, ankle deep in Dalek dust, and he goes off without me. But I had this." He told her, tapping his vortex manipulator. "I used to be a Time Agent. Vortex manipulator. He's not the only one who can time travel." Jack winked.

"I know what it is, I'm a Time Lady." Marianne confided, and Jack exhaled deeply, his eyes wide.

"Seriously?!" He exclaimed. She nodded, smiling gently. "Oh, my God." He trailed. "I thought he was the last one." He said, pointing at the Doctor, who shrugged. Jack grinned and turned back to her. "Wow."

"Just carry on with your story." The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Yeah... So vortex manipulator.." Jack continued.

"Oh, excuse me. That is not time travel. It's like I've got a sports car and you've got a space hopper." The Doctor exclaimed. Jack rolled his eyes and Martha laughed.

"Boys and their toys!"

"All right, so I bounced. I thought, 21st Century, best place to find the Doctor. Except I got it a little wrong. I arrived in 1869 and this thing burnt out so it was useless." He complained.

"Told you." The Doctor smirked.

"I had to live through the entire 20th Century waiting for a version of you that I could coincide with." Jack sighed.

"That makes you over 100 years old." Martha pointed out.

"And looking good, don't ya think?" Jack grinned. "So I went to the time rift, based myself there 'cause I knew you'd come back to refuel. Until finally I get a signal on this detecting you and here we are." Jack concluded.

"But the thing is, how come you left him behind Doctor?" Martha demanded, an accusing tone to her voice.

"I was busy." He sniffed.

"Is that what happens though, seriously? Do you get bored with us some day and disappear? Seems that's what you do. You did it to Marianne." She accused. The Doctor shifted uncomfortably.

"He doesn't do it if you're blonde." Jack smirked. Marianne frowned.

"I'm blonde." She pointed out. "He left me." Jack laughed at her confused face.

"Oh, so Rose was blonde?" Martha asked. Marianne smirked. "What a surprise."

"Hey!" Marianne exclaimed. "I am right here."

"I was on about Rose." Martha waved her comment off with her hand.

"You three! We're at the end of the universe. All right? We're at the edge of knowledge itself and you're busy... Blogging! Come on!" He exclaimed angrily, desperately wanting them to stop talking about his relationships with Marianne and Rose.

The Doctor walked to the edge of a canyon and looked over, it looked as if it once held some sort of city.

"Is that a city?" Martha asked.

"A city or a hive. Or a nest. Or a conglomeration. Look like it was grown." The Doctor explained.

"But look there." Marianne pointed out. "That's like pathways, roads... Must have been some sort of life. Long ago." She sighed.

"What killed it?" Martha asked.

"Time. Just time. Everything's dying now. All the great civilizations have gone. This isn't just night. All the stars have burned up and faded away into nothing." The Doctor said sadly.

"It must have an atmospheric shell. We should be frozen to death." Jack pointed out.

"Well, Martha, Marianne and I maybe." The Doctor said. "Not so sure about you, Jack." Jack smirked, giving the Doctor a dry look.

"What about the people? Does no one survive?" Martha asked.

"I suppose we must hope. Life will find a way." Marianne said.

"Well, he's not doin' too bad." Jack pointed out a man running desperately through pathways, running through the Futurekind.

"Is it me, or does that look like a hunt? Come on!" The Doctor exclaimed, leading them all away and running quickly.

As they reached a hill, and had to turn a few sharp corners, running for their lives, Jack was the only one grinning.

"Oh, I've missed this!" He laughed. They reached the young man and Jack grabbed him, keeping him securely stood up. "I've got you."

"We've gotta run! They're coming!" The man exclaimed, gasping for breath and shaking slightly. Jack passed the man to the Doctor and pulled out his revolver and aimed it at the feral Futurekind. Marianne shook her head.

"Don't you dare." She said darkly, grabbing the gun from him and tossing it to Martha, who luckily caught it.

"What the hell are they?" Martha demanded.

"There's more of them. We've got to keep going." The man exclaimed.

"I've got a ship nearby. It's safe. It's not far, it's just over there." The Doctor pointed the way they came to find the Futurekind sprinting over the hill. "Or maybe not."

"We're close to the Silo. If we get to the Silo, then we're safe." The man panted.

"Silo?" The Doctor asked his friends.

"Silo." Marianne agreed.

"Silo for me." Martha said, while Jack just nodded.

The five of them ran to the gates that kept the Futurekind out, which were guarded by watchtowers and guards.

"It's the Futurekind! Open the gate!" The man exclaimed.

"Show me your teeth!" The guard demanded.

"Show them your teeth." Padra, the young running man, advised then. They all bared their teeth and the guards.

"Human!" The guard exclaimed. "Let them in!"

The gate opened and when they'd rushed inside, the guards quickly all ran at the gate and closed it with a loud bang.

The Futurekind had made it to the gate and were snarling at the humans. The chief guard shot the gun in front of their feet, warning them to keep away.

"Humans. Humani. Make feast." The chief Futurekind snarled.

"Go back to where you came from. I said go back! Go back!" The guard ordered, aiming his gun at them.

"Oh, you don't tell him to put his gun down." Jack smirked, nudging Marianne.

"I don't feel that he's my responsibility." She smirked.

"Oh, and you are?" Jack grinned. Marianne kicked his ankle gently. The Doctor gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes, causing Martha to have to hold her laughter in.

"Kind watch you. Kind hungry." The chief Futurekind spat. The guard signalled to the others and they backed away.

"Thanks for that." The Doctor smiled at the guard.

"Right, let's get you inside." The guard smiled back, leading them inside.

"My name is Padrafet Shafekane. Please tell me, can you take me to Utopia?" Padra asked the guard desperately.

"Oh yes, sir. Yes, I can." The guard grinned, proud of his job.

He then led them into a large tunnel carved into a mountain.. The Silo.

"It's a box, a big blue box. I'm sorry, but I really need it back. It's stuck there." The Doctor explained to a soldier.

"I'm sorry, but my family were heading for the Silo. Did they get here? My mother is Kistane Shafekane. My brother is Beltone." Padra pleaded.

"The computers are down but you can check the paperwork. Creet!" The solider, Atillo, called. A young boy rushed over. "Passenger needs help."

"Right. What d'you need?" Creet asked Padra. Padra walked to the boy and looked down at the boys clipboard.

"A blue box you said." Atillo then turned to the Doctor.

"Big, tall, wooden. Says police." The Doctor described.

"We're driving out for a last water collection. I'll see what I can do." Atillo said tightly.

"Thank you."

They looked for Padra but Creet had already taken him to look for his family.

"Let's see where they went." Martha suggested, intrigued by the the young boy who already has a job.

"It's like a refugee camp." Jack noted as they walked down a thin corridor, surrounded by dirty, ill humans, who looked saddened and scrawny.

"Stinking." Martha added. "No offence." She said to a large man who was staring at them.

"Don't you see that? The old smell of humans. You survived. Oh, much better than a million years evolving into clouds of gas. And then another million as downloads. But you always revert back to the same basic shape. The fundamental humans." The Doctor smiled proudly.

"End of the universe and here you are, indomitable!" Marianne exclaimed.

"Nice word. That's the exact right word!" The Doctor exclaimed back.

"I see you're as intelligent as him." Jack said to her, sidling over to Marianne. "Better looking though." He flirted.

"Stop it." The Doctor shouted. "Give us a hand with this." He then said, trying to open a door with his sonic. Jack and Marianne sighed and went to help him. "It's half deadlocked. See if you can overwrite the code." He instructed. Jack and Marianne both went to work on the keyboard.

The door suddenly opened and Marianne almost fell through. The Doctor and Jack both shot their arms out to help her, but Jack got there first, pulling her back and into his chest somehow. She smiled, breathless, oblivious to the Doctor glaring at Jack angrily.

"Thanks." She grinned to him.

"How did you ever cope without me?" He flirted. Marianne smiled coyly and let his arm go, making the Doctor grit his teeth when she shrugged a reply.

"Now _that_ is what I call a rocket." Martha whistled, looking at the huge rocket base in front of her.

"They're not refugees." The Doctor began.

"They're passengers." He and Marianne both said together.

"He said they were going to Utopia." Martha reminded them, wondering where Utopia was.

"The perfect place." Marianne breathed. "One hundred trillion years; same old dream."

"But the universe is falling apart, what does Utopia mean?" The Doctor asked, closing the door to the engine room and standing back, the heat being far too much to bear.

A hand on Marianne's arm made her jump and turn around. She came face to face with an old scholar with white hair and a waistcoat on. He looked around the group before his eyes fell on Jack.

"The Doctor?" He asked. Jack smirked and shook his head, standing back when he realised Marianne wasn't under any danger.

"That's me." The Doctor said, standing forwards and waving slightly to the man.

"Good. Good. Good." The man said absently. "Good. Good. Good. Good."

"It's good apparently." The Doctor said as he was dragged away by the man, causing Marianne to smirk and follow.

The professor led them to a small laboratory, in which a blue insect like alien was stood in a lab coat.

"Chan-welcome-tho." She smiled, her voice was very timid and she spoke quietly. The Professor, Yana they'd learnt his name was, led the Doctor and Marianne round his lab. The Doctor had told him that Marianne was as clever as he, causing Yana to nearly explode with happiness. So that's why he was leading them both around by their hands.

"This is the gravitational accelerator. And over here is the footprint impellor system. If you know anything about end time gravity then you'll know about this." Yana explained vaguely, while Chantho greeted the others.

"Hello. Who are you?" Martha asked.

"Chan-Chantho-tho." Chantho said timidly.

"But we can't get it to harmonize!" Yana exclaimed wildly, clearly frustrated.

"Captain Jack Harkness." Jack flirted with Chantho, only to realise that he felt guilty looking at Marianne. For some reason, he felt drawn to her. He liked her. And not just because she was a cute blonde with an attitude. She liked a woman with a brain.

"Stop it." The Doctor snapped as he put on his glasses on to bend down and look at some boiling tubes.

"Can't I say hello to anyone?" Jack snapped back, anxious to make himself look innocent under Marianne's bemused look.

"Chan-I do not protest- tho." Chantho smiled.

"Maybe later, Blue." Jack said, knowing that under normal circumstances he would've winked. "So, what have we got here?" He asked, joining the Time Lord's. Martha followed, curious as to what a large glass tube was doing in Jack's bag that he'd thrown to the floor.

"And all this feeds into the rocket?" Marianne questioned, swirling it with a free pippet.

"Yeah, except without a stable footprint we'll never achieve escape velocity. If only we could harmonize the five impact patterns and unify them, well, we might make it yet. What do you two think? Any ideas?" Yana asked them both, looking desperate for any help.

"Well, um, basically... Sort of... Not a clue." The Doctor mumbled.

"Nothing?" Yana sighed.

"We're not from around these parts. I for one have never seen a system like it. Sorry." Marianne frowned at the Professor's disappointment.

"No. No, I'm sorry. It's my fault. There's been so little help." Yana sighed dejected.

"Oh my God." Martha yelped from the sitting area, pulling the tube from Jack's bag. In it was the Doctor's hand that he'd lost during the duel with the Sycorax. "You've got a hand. A hand in a jar. A hand in a jar in your bag."

"That's- That's my hand!" The Doctor exclaimed in a high pitched voice.

"He did say he had a Doctor detector." Marianne smirked, looking at Jack who grinned at her.

"Chan- Is this a tradition amongst your people - tho?" Chantho asked, quite disgusted.

"Not on my street. What d'you mean this is your hand? You've got both your hands, I can see them." Martha protested. "And why's she taking this so well?" Martha demanded.

"I just knew he'd lost a hand." Marianne shrugged.

"It's a long story. I lost my hand on Christmas Day. In a sword fight." The Doctor waved off.

"What, and you grew another hand?" Martha demanded.

"Um. Yeah, I did. Yeah. Hello." The Doctor said, waving his fingers happily. Martha couldn't help but smirk at his cuteness.

"Might I ask what species are you?" Yana asked.

"Marianne and I are Time Lords. Last of. Heard of them? Legend or anything? Not even a myth? Blimey, end of the universe is a bit humbling." The Doctor muttered upon Yana shaking his head at every one of the Doctor's suggestions.

"Chan- It is said that I am the last of my species too- tho." Chantho spoke up, smiling sadly.

"Sorry, what was your name?" Marianne asked.

"My assistant and good friend, Chantho. A survivor of the Malmooth. This was their planet, Malcassairo, before we took refuge." Yana introduced.

"The city outside, that was yours?" Marianne breathed sorrowfully.

"Chan- the conglomeration died- tho."

"Conglomeration! That's what I said!" The Doctor exclaimed happily, only to frown when Marianne coughed and shook her head violently.

"You're supposed to say sorry." Jack agreed, too close to Marianne for the Doctor's liking.

"Oh, yes. Sorry." The Doctor corrected himself.

"Chan- Most grateful- tho." Chantho smiled.

Martha was sorry and all, but she still hadn't gotten over the whole Time Lord creepy sword fight hand thing.

"You grew another hand?" Martha spat. The Doctor grinned and waved his fingers again.

"Hello again. It's fine. Look. Really, it's me." He smiled fondly at her, holding out his hand before taking hers and pulling her into a short dance, twirling her around before letting her go. Martha grinned, but controlled herself when she reminded herself that he was Marianne's. She looked up at said girl, surprised that she was grinning too. Maybe she really didn't mind if the Doctor liked someone else, maybe she loved him, but she didn't really love him.

She also corrected herself for seeing Marianne as a threat. Marianne was her best friend, and she should be happy that she had someone just like her, not snidy and jealous.

"All this time and you're still full of surprises." Martha laughed at him nervously. The Doctor clicked his tongue and winked, causing Martha to full on grin.

The Doctor expected Marianne to do something jealous, such as walk away or start sulking, but he frowned when he noticed her flirting with Jack instead of even listening to them both.

"Chan- You are most unusual - Tho." Chantho laughed.

"Well..." The Doctor trailed off in that way of his.

"So what about those things outside? The Beastie Boys. What are they?" Jack asked.

"We call them the Futurekind. Which is a myth in itself, but, uh, it is feared they are what we will become. Unless we reach Utopia." Yana explained.

"And Utopia is..." Marianne trailed.

"Oh, every human knows of Utopia. Where have you been?" Yana smiled.

"She's a bit of a hermit." The Doctor spoke up, causing Marianne's friendly smile to drop and be replaced with a serious frown.

"A hermit with friends?" Yana asked.

"Hermits United. She meets up outside friends every ten years. Stop stories about her life in a cave." The Doctor added, enjoying being the one to tease her for a change, unaware that she wasn't finding it amusing. "It's good fun... For a hermit. So, um, Utopia? Explain it to her." He concluded.

Yana motioned for them to follow him to a computer that showed a nav chart with a blinking red dot. On their way, Marianne nudged the Doctor hard in his ribs and joined Jack again.

"The call came from across the stars over and over again. Come to Utopia. Originated from that point." Yana explained, pointing to the red dot.

"Where is that?" Jack asked.

"Oh, it's far beyond the Condensate Wilderness. Out towards the wild lands and the dark matter reefs. Calling us in. The last of the humans. Scattered across the night." Yana explained.

"What do you think's out there?" Marianne asked, her voice having a haunted twinge to the end.

"I don't know. A colony, a city, some sort of haven? The Science Foundation created the Utopia Project thousands of years ago to preserve mankind- to find a way of surviving beyond the collapse of reality itself. Now perhaps they found it. Perhaps not. But it's worth a look, don't you think?" Yana smiled.

"Oh yes." The Doctor agreed whole-heartedly. "And the signal keeps modulating, so it's not automatic. There's a good sign. Someone's out there. And that's.. Ooh. That's a navigation matrix, isn't it? So you can fly without stars to guide you..." The Doctor trailed off upon seeing Yana looking like something was wrong. "Professor?"

"Professor Yana?" Marianne asked, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"I- Right. That's enough talk. There's work to do. Now if you could all leave, thank you." He said, pushing Marianne's arm from his hard, sending her flying, with only Jack to cushion the blow.

"Thanks." She muttered, feeling awkward and stepping back slightly, aware that the Doctor was watching.

"You all right?" The Doctor called after Yana.

"Yes, I'm fine! And busy!" He exclaimed, hoping they'd take the hint.

"Except that rocket's not going to fly, is it?" Marianne asked quietly. "This footprint mechanism thing, it's not working." She stated.

"We'll find a way!" Yana insisted.

"You're stuck on this planet. And you haven't told them, have you? That lot out there, they still think they're gonna fly." Marianne continued.

"Well, it's better to let them live in hope." Yana reasoned.

"Quite right, too." The Doctor and Marianne smiled at the same time, causing Jack to frown and look to Martha for an explanation. She simply shrugged. Something was wrong between the two of them, Jack thought. They were too in-sync. He moved, she moved. He walked somewhere, she followed. She looked sad, he went to see what was wrong. She went to fall, he automatically held his arms out to help, even if Jack got there first.

Something was definitely up.

Jack just hoped he wasn't hitting on the Doctor's girlfriend or something.


	20. Chapter 20

"I must say, Professor Yana. This new science is well beyond us, but all the same, a boost reversal circuit, in any time frame, must be a circuit which reverses the boost. So what would happen if I did this?" Marianne asked, picking up the circuit and using the Doctor's sonic to scan it before switching it on, giving them power. She looked up and smiled.

"Chan- It's working- tho!" Chantho laughed.

"But how did you do that?" Yana demanded, hiding his happiness with wonder.

"Oh, we've been chatting away. I forgot to tell you, she's brilliant." The Doctor grinned, once again causing Jack's stomach to squeeze tightly. Please say he hadn't been hitting on the Doctor's Time Lord girlfriend.

"Well, you must help." Yana exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air and pulling Marianne across the room. The Doctor followed, bemused, with his hands in his pockets. He picked up a cord dangling from the ceiling and sniffed it.

"Is this...?" He asked, while Marianne simply observed the readings from a circuit board reader.

"Yes, gluten extract." Yana said proudly, causing Marianne to look at the man with a new sense of admiration. "Binds the neutrino map together."

"But that's food." Marianne protested. "You've built this system out of food and string and staples." She grinned. "You're a genius!"

"Says the girl who made it work." Yana grumbled moodily. Marianne rolled her eyes.

"Ha. It's easy coming in at the end. You set it all up. You're stellar." Marianne insisted.

"She's right. This is magnificent. And I don't often say that 'cause.. Well. 'Cause of me." The Doctor added.

"Well, even my title is an affectation. There hasn't been such thing as a university for over a thousand years. I've spent my life going from one refugee ship to another." Yana explained.

"If you had been born in a different time, you'd be revered." Marianne promised him, and Yana chuckled, thinking she was joking. "I mean it. Throughout the galaxies."

"Oh, those damned galaxies. They had to go and collapse. Some admiration would have been nice. Just a little. Just once." Yana said, sighing dreamily.

"Well, you've got it now." The Doctor reminded him. "But that footprint engine thing. You can't activate it from on board. It's gotta be from here. You're staying behind." The Doctor noted sadly. Yana nodded.

"With Chantho." He smiled fondly, and the blue alien would have blushed if she could. "She won't leave without me. Simply refuses."

"You would give your life so they could fly." Marianne said.

"Oh, I think I'm a little too old for Utopia. Time I had some sleep." Yana smiled at the kind girl.

"Professor, tell the Doctor we've found his blue box." Atillo said over the intercom.

"Ah!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Doctor." Jack called. The Doctor, Yana and Marianne joined Jack at the monitor he was watching. The TARDIS was safe in the silo.

"Professor, it's wild stab in the dark, but I may have just found you a way out." The Doctor grinned, patting Yana on the shoulder before heading into the TARDIS. Yana stared at the ship, the pounding in his head worsening at the sight of the blue box. The Doctor came back out, a power line in his arms. He pulled it into the lab.

"Extra power." He explained, passing the end to Marianne who inserted it into the outlet. "Little bit of a cheat, but who's counting? Jack, you're in charge of the retro-feeds." The Doctor said.

"Oh, am I glad to see that thing." Martha sighed as she and Chantho walked back over, looking at the TARDIS.

Yana took a seat, resting his head in his hand as he thought. Chantho noticed and gingerly went to his side.

"Chan- Professor, are you all right- tho?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm fine." He insisted. "I'm fine. Just get on with it."

"Connect those circuits into the spar- same as that last lot. But quicker." Jack told Martha, who rolled her eyes.

"Yes, sir." She said. The Doctor also noticed the Professor.

"You don't have to keep working. We can handle it." He promised.

"It's just a headache. Just- Just noise inside my head, Doctor. Constant noise inside my head." Yana complained, his eyes shutting in pain.

"What sort of noise?" Marianne spoke up.

"It's the sound of drums. More and more as though it's getting closer." Yana explained, and the thought of someone hearing drums in their head rang a bell.

"When did it start?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, I've had it all my life. Every waking hour. Still, no rest for the wicked." Yana sighed, standing up and wearily going back to his work.

"Captain, keep the levels below red." Yana called to Jack after Atillo told him of the man going into the coupling room.

"Where is that room?" Marianne asked, looking over Jack's shoulder and looking at what he was doing.

"It's underneath the rocket. Fix the couplings and the footprint can work. But the entire chamber is flooded with stet radiation." The Professor told her.

"Stet? Never heard of it." The Doctor said, and Marianne nodded in agreement.

"You wouldn't want to." Yana assured them, sounding grave. "But it's safe enough. We can hold the radiation back from here."

"It's rising!" Jack exclaimed as he lost control.

"Chan- We're losing power -tho!" Chantho proclaimed.

"The radiation's rising." Marianne breathed. "We've lost control."

"The chamber's going to flood." Yana sighed.

"Jack! Override the vents!" The Doctor yelled.

Jack grabbed two live cables. "We can jump start the override!" He yelled, holding the cables together.

"Don't! It's going to flare!" Marianne exclaimed, rushing to his side and trying to stop him in time, but she got there to late. Jack screamed as the power coursed through him, crippling him to the floor.

"I've got him." Martha said, rushing to his side.

"Chan - Don't touch the cables - tho." Chantho warned, kicking the flashing wires to the side.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Yana breathed at the sight of a lifeless Jack.

"The chamber's flooded with radiation, yeah?" Marianne asked, a glint in her eye as she formed a plan.

Martha began mouth to mouth on Jack.

"Without the couplings, the engines will never start. It was all for nothing!" Yana shouted in anger.

"Oh, I don't know." The Doctor smiled. "Martha leave him."

"You've gotta let me try." Martha insisted.

"Come on. Come on, just listen. Now leave him alone." The Doctor pulled the girl away.

"It strikes me, Professor, you've got a room a man can't enter without dying. Is that correct?" Marianne smiled.

"Yes."

"Well..." She began, just as Jack sat up, breathing heavily. "I've got just the man."

"Was someone kissing me?" Jack gasped, looking at Marianne who bent down to help him up.

As the Doctor, Jack and Marianne rushed to the coupling chamber, Jack took off his shirt, leaving just an undershirt and braces.

"What are you doing?" The Doctor demanded, not liking the smile Marianne had flashed Jack when he'd stood in front of her in just his shirt and braces.

"I'm going in." Jack winked at Marianne.

"Well by the looks of it, I'd say that stet radiation doesn't affect clothing, only flesh." The Doctor spoke up helplessly.

"I look good, though." Jack grinned, and the Doctor paled when Marianne nodded in agreement. "How long have you known?"

"Ever since I ran away from you. Good luck." The Doctor replied, and Jack rushed into the room. The Time Lord's watched from the window.

"When did you first realize?" Marianne called. Jack looked up at her through gritted teeth as he pulled up the first coupling.

"Earth 1892. Got in a fight at Ellis Island. A man shot me through the heart. Then I woke up. Thought it was kinda strange. But then it never stopped. Fell off a cliff, trampled by horses, World War 1, World War 2, poison, strangulation, a stray javelin..." Jack listed, and the Doctor winced at the last one. "In the end, I got the message, I'm the man who can never die. And all that time you knew." He said in an accusing tone, looking right at the Doctor.

"That's why I left you behind. It's not easy even just... just looking at you, Jack. 'Cause you're wrong." The Doctor shrugged.

"Thanks." Jack replied sarcastically.

"You are, I can't help it. Me and Marianne, we're Time Lord's. It's instinct. It's in our guts. You're a fixed point in time and space. You're a fact. That's never meant to happen. Even the TARDIS rejected you, tried to shake you off. Flew all the way to the end of the universe just to get rid of you." The Doctor noted.

"How come Marianne doesn't have a problem with me?" Jack demanded.

"I'm not rude. Plus, you're cute." Marianne smirked. Jack laughed.

"Right. So what you're saying is, he's uh, prejudiced?" Jack asked.

"I never thought of it like that." The Doctor said sadly.

"Yeah. Last thing I remember back when I was mortal... I was facing three Daleks. Death by extermination. And then I came back to life. What happened?"

"Rose." The Doctor said simply, smiling fondly.

"I thought you sent her back home." The Doctor spoke up. Marianne listened intently, curious as to what Rose had done to Jack.

"She came back. Opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the time vortex."

Marianne whistled through her teeth.

"What does that mean, exactly?" Jack asked.

"No one's ever meant to have that power." Marianne explained. "If a Time Lord did that, they'd become a god. A vengeful god."

"But she was human." The Doctor added. "Everything she did was so human. She brought you back to life but she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever. That's something, I suppose. The final act of the Time War was life." The Doctor smiled. Marianne looked down, that was nice. She thought if she'd have met Rose, she would have liked her a lot.

"Do you think she could change me back?" Jack laughed dryly.

"I took the power out of her. She's gone, Jack. She's not just living in a parallel world, she's trapped there. The walls have closed." The Doctor explained, and Marianne looked sadly up at the Doctor.

"I'm sorry." She and Jack breathed at the same time.

"Yeah." He said.

"I went back to her estate, in the 90's, just once or twice. Watched her growing up. Never said hello, timelines and all that." Jack smirked, mainly telling Marianne, who smiled back at him.

"Do you want to die?" She asked gently.

"Oh, this one's a little stuck." Jack said, struggling with a coupling.

"Jack?" Marianne asked, leaning her forehead against the window and really looking at him. He looked back at her for a second before sighing.

"I thought I did. I dunno. Not now." He said, looking up into her eyes again. "But this lot, you see them out here surviving and that's fantastic." He swallowed, moving onto the last coupling.

"You may be out there somewhere." The Doctor suggested.

"I could go meet myself." Jack grunted.

"Well, the only man you're ever gonna be happy with." The Doctor grinned.

"This new regeneration, it's kinda cheeky." Jack laughed, releasing the last coupling. "Yes!"

"Now come on, get out!" Marianne said urgently, opening the door and almost pulling him out. Jack looked taken aback when she hugged him, but he laughed and hugged her back. He knew it was about the dying bit. She clearly didn't want him to want himself dead.

She and Jack went back into the controls room, followed by the Doctor. They all worked on their separate thing as Martha rushed into the room.

"Doctor, it's the professor. He's got this watch. He's got a fobwatch. It's the same as your two. Same writing on it, same everything." Martha exclaimed, looking between the two seemingly uninterested Time Lords.

"Don't be ridiculous." The Doctor muttered.

"I asked him. He said he's had it all his life." Martha insisted.

"So he's got the same watch." Jack spoke up.

"Yeah, but it's not a watch. It's this chameleon thing." Martha fumbled for the right words.

"No, it's this... This thing, this device. It rewrites biology, changes a Time Lord into a human." Marianne explained.

"And it's the same watch." Martha shouted.

"It can't be." Marianne told her. An alarm blared and she dove to the left to fix it.

"That means he could be a Time Lord. You two might not be the last ones." Jack thought out loud.

"Jack, keep it level!" The Doctor ordered, wanting desperately to change the subject.

"But that's brilliant, isn't it?" Martha asked.

"Yes, it is. Course it is. Depends which one. Brilliant, fantastic, yeah. But they died, the Time Lords. All of them, they died. Except us." The Doctor said harshly.

"Not if he was human." Marianne said slowly, coming to realise who it was.

"What did he say, Martha? What did he say?" The Doctor yelled.

"He looked at the watch like he could hardly see it. Like that perception filter thing." Martha gasped at his tone.

"What about now? Can he see it now?" Marianne demanded, not waiting for an answer before sprinting away and back to the lab. She was piecing everything together.

The Face of Boe's last words- You Are Not Alone. YANA. He had the fob watch, he'd heard drumming in his head all his life. It sounded a lot like one of her childhood friends. Someone often confused for her brother. Someone who was going to be her best man at her wedding with the Doctor, had he not been scared and ran. Had there not been the Time War. If life had continued without the Time War, he would have been there for them.

The Master.

When she reached the door, it was locked shut. "Let me in!" She demanded, hitting it over and over again with her hands. She went to the keypad and began trying to unlock it.

"Get it open!" She shrieked, happily letting the Doctor and Jack help when they finally got there too.

"Let me in! I need to explain! Just don't open the watch!" Marianne shouted.

"The Futurekind, they're coming." Martha told Marianne, who gritted her teeth. Even more problems, she thought dryly.

"Open the door, please. Yana, I'm begging you. Listen to me!" Marianne cried desperately. "Open the door, please!"

The Master groaned as Chantho shot him, and he staggered into the TARDIS. Jack hit the keypad with the butt of his gun and the door opened. Marianne and the Doctor rushed inside, but stopped. Marianne leaped forwards, wanting nothing more than to hug the man, but he quickly went inside the TARDIS and shut the doors, cradling his wound.

Let's just say that she and the Master hadn't said goodbye on the best of terms. Something had happened. Love, let's say. He loved her, and she didn't love him back. He grew jealous of the Doctor, a deep hatred emerged. When he found out that they were planning a wedding without being engaged, it only fuelled his rage even more.

Marianne had found out that he'd planned to wreck their wedding, and take her for himself, and she'd told him she couldn't be around him anymore. It had ruined their relationship. The Master went into hiding, only to come out again when War was announced.

And Marianne missed him deeply. He'd been her best friend, second only to the Doctor. She loved him, in a way.

"Let me in!" Marianne cried.

"I've broken the lock!" Jack exclaimed triumphantly.

"I'm begging you!" Marianne called. "It's just us three, everything's changed! We're the only ones left! Just please, let me in. Master!"

"Killed by an insect. A girl! How inapproproiate. Still, if the Doctor can be young and strong, then so can I. The Master... Reborn." The Master said from the console.

Golden light streamed through the bottom of the TARDIS door, and paired with the Master's agonised screams, they could tell he was regenerating.

"Doctor! You'd better think of something!" Jack yelled, as he and Martha held the door back from the Futurekind that were trying to break into the room.

The light stopped streaming through the door, and they heard the Master stand up again, clearly with energy.

"Ha! Ha ha ha!" He laughed. "Doctor, Marianne- Ooh, new voice. Hello. Hello. Hello. Anyway, why don't we stop and have a nice little chat while I tell you all my plans and you can work out a way to stop me? I don't think!" He exclaimed manically. Marianne closed her eyes, tears threatening to spill. She put her hand on the TARDIS door. The Master, the little boy who'd she grown up with. The boy who she thought she'd marry, before she'd met the Doctor. He'd been her first kiss. The Doctor had been her second.

"I'm asking you, properly. Please. Let me in." She cried.

"Use my name." He ordered.

"Master." She breathed.

"Tough!" He exclaimed, rushing around the console in his new body. He stopped for a second, and walked to the doors, pausing. "Just tell me one thing, did you two ever get married?" He asked, his voice breaking as if he were in emotion turmoil.

"No." Marianne said strongly. The Master closed his eyes, smiled and rushed back to the console.

The Doctor held out his sonic. "Oh no you don't, Doctor. End of the universe. Have fun! Bye bye!" The Master cried happily, starting the TARDIS.

"Doctor, stop him!" Martha called desperately.


	21. Chapter 21

Marianne stared at the spot where the TARDIS had been for a moment, still in shock at the Master's words. She turned around to look at the Doctor, who had his eyes closed. He was seemingly in pain. He thought he'd never see the Master again, the man who'd tried to steal his Bond from him. He opened his eyes and looked at Marianne, wishing she would let down her mental barriers and let him know what she was thinking. But she was stubborn, as ever, and they stayed up.

They both snapped out of their daydreams when Martha reminded them of the urgency. The Futurekind were still trying to get in. Marianne grabbed Jack's vortex manipulator from his belt and tossed it to the Doctor. She then went to help Jack and Martha keep the Futurekind out.

"I'm telling you, it's broken. It hasn't worked for years!" Jack yelled.

"That's because you didn't have me." The Doctor said, scanning the manipulator with his sonic. "Martha, grab hold!" He exclaimed, taking Martha's hand and placing it on top of the device. Marianne did the same, as did Jack. "Now!"

They disappeared.

They landed in an alleyway in London, groaning.

"Oh, my head." Martha complained.

"Time travel without a capsule. It's a killer." Marianne explained, holding her head slightly. Jack cracked his neck as the Doctor led the way out of the alley.

"Still, at least we made it. Earth, 21st Century by the looks of it. Ha, ha, talk about lucky." Jack grinned.

"That wasn't luck, that was me." The Doctor said, his voice laced with seriousness. Marianne rolled her eyes while Martha looked confused.

They went and sat on a couple of benches to gather their thoughts.

"The moral is, if you're gonna get stuck at the end of the universe, get stuck with an ex-Time Agent and his vortex manipulator." Jack teased.

"But this Master bloke, he's got the TARDIS. He could be anywhere in time and space." Martha brought up, utterly confused.

"No, he's here. Trust me." Marianne said darkly, looking around at all the Harold Saxon campaign posters stuck on all the walls. The Master.

"Who is he, anyway? And that voice at the end, that wasn't the professor." Martha replied.

"If the Master's a Time Lord, he must've regenerated." Jack explained. Martha frowned, Jack's words only confusing her more.

"What does that mean?" Martha asked.

"It means he's changed his face, voice, body, everything. New man." Jack explained. The Doctor turned to look at a homeless man tapping four times on his cup.

"Then how we gonna find him?" Martha asked. The tapping echoed through both the Doctor and Marianne's mind. She turned to look at the Doctor and he gestured to the homeless man. She paled.

"I'll know him. The moment I see him." Marianne said.

"Time Lord's always do." The Doctor added, wanting to explain it as simply as he could to Martha.

"But hold on. If he could be anyone, we missed the election. But it can't be..." Martha muttered. The Doctor slowly stood up, as did Marianne and Jack. They walked towards a TV screen in a shop window playing the News. Martha followed, wondering what they'd spotted.

_"Mr Saxon has returned from the Palace and is greeting the crowd inside Saxon HQ." _The news reported. It showed the Master and his blonde wife, Lucy, walking downstairs, waving and smiling at the cameras.

"I said I knew that voice. When he spoke inside the TARDIS. I've heard that voice hundreds of times. I've seen him. We all have. That was the voice of Harold Saxon." Martha said quietly.

"That's him. He's Prime Minister." Marianne said, looking at the handsome blonde man that she'd seen flashed all around the TV and on posters. How had she not known it was him? She suspected a perception filter. How else would she have ignored him, been indifferent about him, even?

"The Master is the Prime Minister of Great Britain. The Master and his wife." The Doctor said, looking down at Marianne to gauge her expression. Was she upset that the Master had married? Not by the looks of it. She didn't have any expression on her face, only curiousness.

_"This country has been sick. This country needs healing. This country needs medicine. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that, what this country really needs, right now... is a doctor." _The Master said, smiling into the camera. Marianne frowned, and the Doctor swallowed nervously.

Martha had taken the other three back to her flat. Marianne already knew it like it was her own home.

"Home." Martha sighed, collapsing onto her settee alongside Marianne.

"What have you got? Computer, laptop, anything?" The Doctor asked. Jack began making a call on his phone. "Jack, who are you phoning? You can't tell anyone we're here!" He exclaimed.

"Just some friends of mine, but there's no reply..." Jack defended himself.

"Here you go. Any good?" Martha asked, passing the Doctor her laptop. He took it eagerly and turned it on. Jack then grabbed it and typed something in.

"I can show you the Saxon websites. He's been around for ages."

"That's so weird though. It's the day after the election. That's only four days after I met you." Martha laughed incredulously. She'd been with the Doctor for nearly a year now, but it had only been four days.

"We went flying all around the universe while he was here the whole time." The Doctor said.

"You gonna tell us who he is?" Martha pressed, wanting to know why Marianne had suddenly gone incredibly quiet.

"He's a Time Lord." The Doctor informed her.

"What about the rest of it? I mean, who'd call himself the Master?" Martha snorted.

"That's all you need to know." The Doctor snapped, his eyes always on Marianne. "Come on, show me Harold Saxon."

Jack pressed play on one of the many campaign adverts for the Master.

_"I'm voting Saxon. He can tick my box any day." _Sharon Osbourne said, smirking at the camera.

_"I think Mr Saxon is exactly what this country needs. He's a very fine man. And he's handsome too." _Ann Widdecombe said.

Marianne sighed and pushed pause, leaning over Jack to do so.

"Former minister of defence. First came to prominence when he shot down the Racnoss on Christmas Eve. Nice work by the way." Jack said to the Doctor.

"Oh, thanks." The Doctor replied, sitting on the arm of the couch.

"He goes back years. He's famous. Everyone knows his story. Look. Cambridge university. Rugby blue, won the Athletics thing, wrote a novel, went into business, marriage, everything. He's got a whole life." Martha explained to the Time Lord's. Jack jumped up from his seat and went into the kitchen to make tea.

"But he's got a TARDIS. Maybe the Master went back in time and has been living here for decades." He pointed out.

"No." The Doctor replied.

"Why not? Worked for me." Jack smirked at Marianne.

"When he was stealing the TARDIS, the only thing he could do was fuse the coordinates. He locked them permanently." Marianne explained, smiling at the Doctor. Martha smiled at them both, they'd come a long way since they met at the hospital. From when Marianne told Martha she hated him. And now look at them, sat next to each other, smiling at each other and everything. Crazy.

"He can only travel between the year 100 trillion and the last place the TARDIS landed. Which is right here, right now." The Doctor added.

"Yeah, but a little leeway?" Jack urged.

"Well... 18 months, tops. The most he could have been here is 18 months. So how has he managed all this? The Master was always sort of... hypnotic but this is on a massive scale." The Doctor said, looking at Marianne who swallowed and closed her eyes.

"I was gonna vote for him." Martha said, clearly upset with herself.

"Really?" The Doctor asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Well, it was before I even met you. And I liked him." Martha shrugged.

"Me too." Jack spoke up.

"What about you?" The Doctor asked Marianne gently.

"I don't vote. I'm not a human, I don't decide who rules a human country." She said. He smiled.

"Okay. So why did you two want to vote for him? What was his policy? What did he stand for?" The Doctor asked Martha and Jack.

"I dunno. He always sounded... good." She said, looking at the floor as if in a trance. Her fingers began tapping on the couch, four beats. "Like you could trust him. Just nice. He spoke about... I can't really remember. But it was good. Just the sound of his voice."

"What's that?" Marianne asked, looking at the tapping fingers.

"What?" Martha asked, startled out of her trance.

"That! That tapping, the rhythm. What're you doing?" Marianne then asked, looking up, alert.

"I dunno. It's nothing... I just- I dunno!" She exclaimed, surprised that she was doing it. A tune played on the website.

SAXON BROADCAST ALL CHANNELS, it read on the screen. The Doctor turned on the TV.

"Our lord and master is talking to his kingdom." He said sarcastically. Onscreen, Saxon was stood in front of the fireplace in the cabinet room.

"Britain, Britain, Britain. What extraordinary times we've had. Just a few years ago, this world was so small. And then they came, out of the unknown, falling from the skies. You've seen it happen- Big Ben destroyed, a spaceship over London. All those ghosts and metal men. The Christmas Star that came to kill. Tie and time again the government told you nothing. Well, not me. Not Harold Saxon. Because my purpose here today is to tell you this- citizens of Great Britain.. I have been contacted. A message, for humanity, from beyond the stairs." He said, before nodding at someone off screen.

"_People of Earth, we come in peace. We bring great gifts. We bring technology and wisdom and protection. And all we ask in return is your friendship." _A metal sphere said.

"Ooh, sweet. And this species has identified itself. They're called the Toclafane." The Master added, smiling at the camera again.

"What?!" Marianne roared, standing up.

"And tomorrow morning they will appear. Not in secret, but to all of you. Diplomatic relations with a new species will begin. Tomorrow, we take our place in the universe. Every man, woman and child. Every teacher and chemist and lorry driver and farmer. And every... oh, I don't know.. Medical student?" The Master said, smirking at the camera. The Doctor whipped around to look at Martha before diving to the TV and turning it around. A bomb was strapped to the back, ready to go off. The Doctor grabbed the laptop as they rushed out of the house, just in time.

The house blew up loudly, fire billowing through the windows.

"All right?" The Doctor asked, panting as they ran down the street. Marianne nodded.

"Fine, yeah. Fine." Jack replied.

"Martha?" The Doctor asked, turning to see her on her phone. "What are you doing?"

"He knows about me.. What about my family?" Martha demanded.

"Don't tell them anything!" Marianne exclaimed.

"I'll do what I like!" Martha snapped. "Mum? Oh my God, you're there." Martha breathed into her phone. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Mum, has there been anyone asking about me? I can't! Now now! Don't be so daft. Since when? You said you'd never get back with him in a million years. Dad? What are you doing there? Dad? Just say yes or no now. Is there someone else there? Dad! What's going on? Dad!" She hung up the phone. "I gotta help them!" She exclaimed, running to her car.

Marianne grabbed her arm. "That's exactly what they want! It's a trap!"

"I don't care, Marianne!" Martha roared, getting into the driver seat. Marianne sighed and got in the passenger, while Jack and the Doctor jumped into the back. Martha drove recklessly, tears streaming down her face.

"Corner!" Marianne reminded her, and Martha gripped the wheel tightly and turned the corner, tyes squeeling in protest. Martha dialled Tish's number and threw the phone into Marianne's lap, who put it on speakerphone.

"C'mon Tish, pick up." Martha breathed.

"Martha, I can't talk right now. We just made first contact. Did you see- What are you doing? Get off! Linda, tell them!" They heard Tish yell as someone grabbed her.

"What's happening? Tish!" Martha yelled, but the phone had been put down. Martha glanced at Marianne and then at the Doctor angrily. "It's your fault! It's all your fault!" She screamed at them both.

Marianne turned to her best friend angrily. "Don't you take that tone with me!" She yelled. Martha ignored her and turned a corner, seeing that the police were surrounding her parents house.

"Reverse." The Doctor said urgently. They watched as the police aimed their weapons at the car. "Get out now!" He cried. Martha reversed and quickly sped down the road the way she came.

"Move it!" Jack urged. The police open fired at the car, and as they rushed down the road, bullets shattered the rear window, making the Doctor and Jack bend down to avoid the bullets.

"The only place we can go... Planet Earth. Great." Martha said, upset and sarcastic.

"Careful!" Marianne exclaimed as Martha nearly ran a woman over.

"Now, Martha, listen to me. Do as I say. We've gotta ditch this car. Pull over. Right now!" Jack ordered. Martha did as she was told and they headed off on foot.

"Martha, come on!" The Doctor exclaimed as Martha got her phone out again.

"Leo! Oh, thank God! Leo, you gotta listen to me. Where are you?" Martha asked her brother on the phone. "Leo, just listen to me. Don't go home, I'm telling you. Don't phone Mum or Dad or Tish. You've gotta hide. On my life. You've gotta trust me. Go to Boxer's. Stay with him. Don't tell anyone! Just hide!" She exclaimed. She paled as the Master began speaking to her.

"Ooh, a nice little game of hide and seek. I love that. But I'll find you, Martha Jones. Been a long time since we saw each other. Must be, what, one hundred trillion years?" He said into the phone.

"Let them go, Saxon. Do you hear me?! Let them go!" She cried, and Marianne took the phone from her.

"I'm here." She said.

"Marianne." The Master said into the phone, smirking slightly from the cabinet room.

"Master." She replied.

"I always liked it when you used my name." He replied, and she bit her lip.

"You chose it." She retorted. "So.. Prime Minster."

"I know, it's good, isn't it?" He asked her, wanting her to be impressed.

"Who are those things? 'Cause there's no such thing as the Toclafane. They're just a fairytale." Marianne said, sitting down on a wall, the Doctor sitting next to her, his hearts breaking when he heard the tone of voice she used. Almost gentle, caring; despite what he was doing.

"Do you remember all those fairy tales about the Toclafane when we were kids, Mari? Back home. Where is it?" He asked, his voice breaking slightly. The Doctor put his hands into his pockets.

"Gone." Marianne replied gently.

"How can Gallifrey be gone?"

"It burnt." She explained.

"And the Time Lords?" The Master asked.

"We're the only ones left, K." She said, her voice breaking too. The Master swallowed when she called him K. She was one of three people who knew his real name. "What happened to you? You went into hiding and then you came back when War was announced. How are you here?"

"The Time Lords only called me forwards out of hiding because they knew I'd be the perfect warrior for a Time War. I was there when the Dalek Emperor took control of the Cruciform. I saw it. I ran. I ran so far. Made myself human so they would never find me because... I was so scared, Mari." He said.

"I know." She replied, tears spilling down her cheeks. The Doctor had to bite his lip to stop him from screaming.

"All of them, gone. Really?" The Master asked.

"The Doctor was the only one who could end it. He tried. I know he did. He tried everything." She said.

"He must have been like a God." The Master spat, thinking to his last days with Marianne. The Doctor had always been there, flashing his smiles and winning her heart. The Master was the one who'd introduced them both to each other! And the Doctor stole her.

"He's been alone ever since. I left him. You don't know what happened, K. Don't you see though, all we've got now is each other." Marianne said sincerely.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" The Master asked sarcastically.

"You could stop this right now. We could leave. We could fight across the constellations if that's what you want. But not on Earth." Marianne told him. The Master paused, thinking of what it would be like to travel with Marianne. But then he thought about it. The Doctor would always be there, and he couldn't handle that.

"Too late." He told her, his voice dark.

"Why?" She asked.

"The drumming. I thought it would stop but it never does. Never ever stops. Inside my head, the drumming, Mari. The constant drumming."

"I'll help you. K, please let me help you." She pleaded.

"It's everywhere. Listen, listen, listen. Here comes the drums. Here come the drums." He said, tapping his fingers on his desk in a beat of four. A man leaning on the wall near the Doctor began tapping his hands on his legs in the same beat.

"What have you done? Tell me how you've done this. What are they? Tell me." Marianne said quietly.

"Ooh, look. You're on TV, blondie." The Master smirked. Marianne turned to look at the TV screen, which showed her on the phone, just as she was. "You're public enemies number one, two, three and four. Oh, and you can tell handsome Jack that I've sent his little gang off on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas so he won't be getting any help from them." The Master added. Marianne looked at Jack who'd heard what he said. "Now, go on, off you go. Why not start by turning to the right?" He asked. Marianne turned and saw the camera.

"He can see us." She told the others. The Doctor used his sonic on the camera and turned it off.

"Ooh, isn't he a public menace? Better start running, my sweet. Go on. Run!" He exclaimed, hanging up the phone. He put his elbows on the desk, his hands in fists as he rested his forehead on them, his eyes closed as he thought back to her face, and how gently she'd talked to him. He screamed to himself and threw the desk over, knocking all his things onto the floor. He kicked it, before doing it again to another desk and storming out of his office.

"He's got control of everything." Marianne said, handing the phone back to Martha.

"What do we do?" Martha asked.

"We've got nowhere to go." Jack said.

"Doctor, what do we do?" Martha asked again, concerned about his blank face.

"We run." He said, simply.

They'd ran into an empty and abandoned warehouse, Martha carrying a takeaway bag in her hand. The Doctor set up the laptop again while Marianne sat next to him and Jack used his manipulator.

"How was it?" Jack asked as Martha walked in with their food.

"I don't think anyone saw me." She smiled. "Anything new?" She asked.

"I've got this thing tuned into the government wavelength so we can follow what Saxon's doing." Jack said, holding up his manipulator. Marianne rolled her eyes.

"She means about her family. The news said they've been taken in for questioning. Tell you what though, no mention of Leo." She smiled gently.

"He's not as daft as he looks." Martha shrugged, sitting down. "I'm talking about my brother on the run. How did this happen?" She asked blankly.

"Nice chips." Jack said, smirking.

"Actually, they're not bad." The Doctor agreed, biting one in half. Martha and Jack exchanged a look and she nodded her head in the Doctor and Marianne's direction.

"So, who is he? How come the ancient society of Time Lords created a psychopath?" Jack asked.

"And what is he to you both?" Martha added.

"A friend, at first." Marianne said.

"I thought you were gonna say he was his secret brother or something." Martha sighed in relief, and the other three turned to look at her.

"You've been watching too much TV." The Doctor told her. Martha chuckled.

"But all the legends of Gallifrey made it sound so perfect." Jack said.

"Well, perfect to look at, maybe." The Doctor agreed. "And it was, it was beautiful. They used to call it the Shining Word of the Seven Systems. And on the Continent of Wild Endeavour, in the Mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords. The oldest and most mighty race in the universe... looking down on the galaxies below... sworn never to interfere.. only to watch. Children of Gallifrey, taken from their families at the age of eight to enter the Academy. And some say that's when it all began. When he was a child." The Doctor explained.

"Me and the Master had been best friends since the age of four. We were like siblings. We loved each other, he was a very normal and sweet child. But then we saw eternity. As novices, we'd been taken in for initiation, it's a gap in the fabric of reality through which could be seen the whole of the vortex. You stand there, eights years old... Staring at the raw power of time and space, just a child. Some would be inspired, some would run away, and some would go mad."

"What about you?" Martha asked.

"The ones that ran away." The Doctor said. "I never stopped." He said.

"But there's more to it than that. He wasn't mad straight away. He was normal again. We grew up into teenagers, and we fell in love. Like.. Madly in love. He was my first kiss, my first time, my everything. He adored me. And then he introduced me to his new friend, the Doctor." Marianne said wryly. "And it was clear that we were Bonded. The Master hated that. I didn't love him anymore, because I loved someone else instead. Someone that I wouldn't know if it wasn't for him. He grew bitter, and twisted but he swore he'd always love me. And I've always loved him too, but it's different. It's different when you're Bonded, even if you don't want to be. I could only ever see myself with the Doctor, and not the Master like I'd thought. I thought the Master and I would get married and everything." She sighed.

"And then Marianne and I began planning a wedding. Not that we were engaged, it was just joking about. And the Master said he'd be the Best Man. Only he later told Marianne that he wanted to steal her back from me, and she fell out with him. She told him to leave her alone, and to leave me alone. And he went into hiding. She never saw him again. Until now." The Doctor concluded.

Jack knew about Bonds, and what they meant for Time Lords. Utter adoration, complete with a mind link and everything. But he would never have thought the Doctor and Marianne were Bonded. And the way she'd talked to the Master, you'd think she and the Master were Bonded instead.

Jack's manipulator beeped. "Encrypted channel with files attached. Don't recognise it." He said.

"Patch it through to the laptop." The Doctor said, pushing it towards him.

"Um, since we're telling stories, um, there's something I haven't told you." Jack mumbled. The Torchwood logo appeared on screen.

"You work for Torchwood." The Doctor stated, his voice laced with accusation.

"I swear to you, it's different. It's changed. There's only half a dozen of us now." Jack assured him.

"Everything Torchwood did and you're part of it?!" The Doctor demanded.

"The old regime was destroyed at Canary Wharf. I rebuilt it, changed it. And when I did that, I did it for you, in your honour." Jack promised him. The Doctor glared at Jack before opening the file. It was a video. A woman appeared on screen.

"_If I haven't returned to my desk by 2200 hundred hours, this file will be emailed to __Torchwood__. Which means, if you're watching this, then I'm... Anyway. The Saxon Files are attached. But take a look at the Archangel document. That's when it all started. When Harry Saxon became Minister in charge of launching the Archangel Network." _The woman on screen said.

A logo of a spinning Earth appeared.

"What's the Archangel network?" The Doctor asked.

"I've got Archangel. Everyone's got it." Martha shrugged, pulling out her phone.

"It's a mobilr phone network. It's worldwide. They've got 15 satellite's in orbit. Even the other networks, they're carried by Archangel." Marianne explained. The Doctor took Martha's phone and used his sonic on it.

"It's in the phones! Oh, I said he was a hypnotist! Wait, wait, wait. Hold on." He tapped the phone against the table. It beeped the four tone rhythm. "There it is. That rhythm. It's everywhere. Ticking away into subconscious." The Doctor said.

"What is it, mind control?" Martha asked.

"No. Subtler than that. Any stronger and people would question it. But contained in that rhythm, in layers of code... Vote Saxon. Believe in me. Whispering to the world. Oh, yes! That's how he hid himself from Marianne and I. 'Cause I should have sensed there was another Time Lord apart from Marianne on Earth. I should have known way back, and she should have known further back. The signal cancelled him out." The Doctor explained.

"Any way you can stop it?" Jack asked hopefully.

"Not from down here. But now we know how he's doing it." The Doctor replied.

"And we can fight back." Martha smiled.

"Oh, yes!" The Doctor grinned. He took apart the phone and the laptop. He took Martha, Jack and Marianne's TARDIS keys. He used the sonic on them and he tied them to strings so they could be worn around the neck.

"Four TARDIS keys, four pieces of the TARDIS with low-level perception properties because the TARDIS is designed to blend in. Well, sort of, but... Now! The Archangel network's got a second low-level signal. Weld the key to the network and... Martha." The Doctor said, stepping back. "Look at me. You can see me, yes?"

"Yep!" Martha exclaimed.

"What about now?" He asked, slipping the perception filter over his neck. Martha squinted. She blinked and Jack chuckled while Marianne smiled.

"No, I'm here. Look at me." The Doctor urged.

"It's like... I know you're there but I don't want to know." Martha struggled for the words.

"And back again." The Doctor said, taking the filter off. "See? It just shifts your perception a tiny little bit. Doesn't make us invisible, just unnoticed. Oh, I know what it's like. It's like- It's like when you fancy someone and they don't even know you exist. That's what it's like! Come on!" The Doctor exclaimed. Marianne joined him while Martha looked at Jack.

"You too?" He asked, looking sympathetically at her. He'd seen the same helpless expression with a certain Rose Tyler. They followed Marianne and the Doctor out into the street.

"Don't run. Don't shout. Just keep your voice down. Draw attention to yourself and the spell is broken. Just keep to the shadows." Marianne instructed.

"Like ghosts." Jack said.

"Yeah, that's what we are. Ghosts." She said. They placed the keys around their necks before heading into London.

They walked up behind the Master, who was talking to the President of the USA.

"First contact cannot take place on any sovereign soil. For that purpose, the aircraft carrier Valiant is en route. The rendezvous will take place there at 8:00 am." Winters told the Master, who tried to talk but was being irritating and pretending his lips were locked. "You're trying my patience, Saxon."

He unzipped his lips. "So America is completely in charge?" He asked.

"Since Britain elected an ass, yes. I'll see you on board the Valiant." President Winters rolled his eyes.

"It will still be televised, though, won't it? Because I promised, and the whole world is watching." The Master said sincerely.

"Since it's too late to pull out, the world will be watching." Winters said. "Me." He added, before walking to his waiting car. The Master turned to Lucy, his wife.

"The last President of America. We have a private plane ready and waiting. We should reach the Valiant within the hour, my darling."

Saxon turned to watch Winters drive away. Turning back he seemed to look straight at Marianne, who had to hold back from running over to him. Like she'd told the others, she still loved him, just not in the same way she had done at first. A police van pulled up, and the Jones family were taken out. The Master ran over as if greeting friends.

"Hi, guys!" He laughed. "All will be revealed!"

"Oh, my God." Martha muttered.

"Don't move." The Doctor reminded her.

"But..." Martha staggered.

"Don't."

The Jones' were transferred into a Land Rover.

"I'm gonna kill him." Martha spat. Marianne felt bad. Martha wanted to kill him, and so should she, but she just couldn't. He wanted to take over the world, kill millions, and she couldn't even summon up the hate to slap him. How pathetic was she? How low the Doctor must think of her.

Martha was going to hate her. Jack was going to hate her. The Doctor was going to hate her.

"Say I use this perception filter to walk up behind him and break his neck?" Jack asked, only half kidding.

"That sounds like Torchwood." The Doctor reprimanded.

"Still a good plan." Jack shrugged.

"He's a Time Lord, which makes him our responsibility. We're not here to kill him. We're here to save him." The Doctor said, making Marianne feel ten times better.

"So how do we get on board the Valiant?" Martha asked.

"Does that thing work as a teleport?" Marianne asked Jack, looking at his vortex manipulator.

"Since he revamped it, yeah. Coordinates set." Jack smiled tightly. The Doctor made sure everyone was touching it before activating it. They arrived in the Valiant's engine room. Martha and Jack groaned.

"Oh, that thing is rough!" Martha moaned.

"I've had worse nights." Jack smirked, cracking his neck. "Welcome to the Valiant."

"It's dawn." Martha said, walking to a porthole. "Hold on, I thought this was a ship. Where's the sea?" She asked.

"A ship for the 21st Century. Protecting the skies of Planet Earth." Jack said sarcastically. They all looked out the porthole, to see the ship was a huge aircraft carrier with three landing strips.

"We've got no time for sightseeing!" Jack reprimanded, as they took off. The Doctor stopped.

"No, no. Wait. Shh, shh. Can't you hear it?" He asked.

"Hear what?" Marianne asked.

"Doctor, my family's on board." Martha reminded him desperately.

"Brilliant! This way!" The Doctor exclaimed, changing direction and running through more corridors. The Doctor opened a set of doors to reveal the TARDIS.

"Oh, at last." Marianne sighed.

"Oh, yes!" Martha laughed.

"What's it doing on the Valiant?" Jack asked. They opened the TARDIS doors to see it bathed in red.

"What's he done?" Marianne snapped, looking at the poor girl.

"Don't touch it." The Doctor warned.

"I'm not going to." Jack replied.

"What's he done though? Sounds like she's... Sick." Martha said, looking at the console which was stripped of certain parts and caged off.

"It can't be." Marianne breathed as she looked around.

"What is it?" Martha asked her.

"He's cannibalised her." She replied.

"Is that what I think it is?" Jack asked.

"It's a paradox machine." The Doctor moaned. "As soon as this hits red, it activates. At this speed, it'll trigger at two minutes past eight." He explained.

"First contact is at eight, and then two minutes later..." Jack trailed off.

"What's it for? What's a paradox machine do?" Martha enquired.

"More importantly, can you stop it?" Jack asked.

"Not until we know what it's doing. Touch the wrong thing and blow up the entire solar system." Marianne laughed ironically.

"Then we've got to get to the Master." Martha spoke up.

"How do we stop him?" Jack asked the Time Lord's.

"Oh, I've got a way." The Doctor said, going to walk out the TARDIS before pausing an looking back at the trio. "Sorry, didn't I tell you?" He grinned.

The four entered the conference room, still with their filters on. President Winters was speaking and the Master and Lucy were smirking as they sat on the front seats.

"For as long as man has looked to the stars, he has wondered what mysteries they hold. Now we know we are not alone..." Winters said.

"This plan, you planning on telling us?" Marianne asked.

"If I can get this," The Doctor said, holding up his key. "Around the Master's neck, cancel out his perception, they'll see him for real. It's hard to go unnoticed with everyone on red alert. If they stop me.. You've got keys." The Doctor explained.

"Yes, sir." Jack said.

"And I ask you now, I ask of the human race, to join with me in welcoming our friends. I give you the Toclafane." Winters introduced, the Spheres appeared around him. "My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, President of the United States of America and designated representative of the United Nations. I welcome you to the planet Earth and its associated moon." Winters said.

"You're not the Master." One Toclafane said, it's voice alarmingly child like.

"We like the Mr Master." Another said.

"We don't like you." The other said.

"I... can be Master, if you so wish. I will accept mastery over you if that is God's will." Winters stammered.

"Man is stupid."

"Master is our friend."

"Where's my Master, pretty please?" The Toclafane asked.

"Oh, all right then. It's me." Saxon smiled, standing up grandly. "Ta-da!" He laughed. "Sorry. Sorry, I have this effect. People just get obsessed. Is it the smile? Is it the aftershave? Is it the capacity to laugh at myself? I don't know. It's crazy!" He exclaimed.

"Saxon, what are you talkin' about?" Winters demanded.

The Master turned serious as he faced Winters. "I'm taking control, Uncle Sam. Starting with you. Kill him." He instructed. One of the Toclafane shot Winters and he disintegrated. Chaos erupted and everyone tried to leave the room. Saxon's guards pulled out their weapons and he laughed.

"Guards! Now then, people of the Earth, please attend carefully." The Master said. The Doctor rushed forwards.

"Stop him!" A guard cried. Two guards grabbed the Doctor and forced him to kneel. Marianne closed her eyes.

"We meet at last, Doctor. Oh, ho! I love saying that." The Master exclaimed.

"Stop this! Stop it now!" The Doctor begged.

"As if a perception filter's gonna work on me. Oh, and look, it's the girlie, and the freak. Although, I'm not sure which one's which." The Master said, purposely not mentioning Marianne. Jack rushed forwards but the Master was quicker, shooting a laser at him. Jack fell to the ground. "Laser screwdriver, who'd have sonic? And the good thing is, he's not dead for long. I get to kill him again!" He exclaimed happily.

Martha went to Jack while Marianne went to the Master.

"Get her!" One of the guards yelled, but a sharp look from the Master stopped them in their tracks.

"Oh, Marianne. How lovely to see you again." He whispered, and Marianne knew that for once, he wasn't being sarcastic.

"Come on, K. Please. Stop this, for me. We can go travelling. See the stars. Do anything you want." She promised him. He leaned forwards, his forehead resting on hers as he looked into her eyes.

"With the Doctor there the whole time? You think I could allow that?" He whispered. She bit her lip as he closed his eyes. "No. Either he dies, or you let me 's it going to be?" He asked. She stood back, going to the Doctor's side.

"I thought so!" The Master yelled. "You'd always go back to him!" He roared, his voice breaking.

"Master, just calm down. Look at what you're doing. Just stop. If you could see yourself.." The Doctor tried.

The Master sighed and looked to the camera. "Oh, do excuse me, little bit of personal business. Back in a minute." He said, before turning to his guards. "Let him go." They let him go and pushed him to the floor, Marianne bending down to stable him. She nodded.

"It's that sound, the sound in your head? I'll help." She told him. He looked at her for a moment, before rolling his eyes.

"Professor Lazarus." He told her.

"What about him?" She retorted.

"Remember him? And his genetic manipulation device?" He asked. "Did you think that little Tish got that job merely by coincidence. I've been laying traps for you both all this time. And if I can concentrate all that Lazarus technology into one little screwdriver... But, ooh, if only I had the Doctor's biological code. Oh, wait a minute. I do!" The Master exclaimed, running to a silver case and opening it. The Doctor's hand in the jar rested there. "I've got his hand! And if Lazarus made himself younger, what if I reverse it? Another hundred years?" The Master asked, aiming his screwdriver at the Doctor and activating it. The Doctor yelled and screamed in agony as his genetic makeup changed. Jack revived and watched Marianne, who was simply staring at the ground, looking like a broken girl. Her breathing was getting heavier, as if she was going into shock.

She could feel the pain, as well. They were Bonded.

"Teleport." Jack said, handing Martha the manipulator. He knew Marianne wouldn't leave the Doctor, and neither would be. But he could save Martha.

"I can't." Martha said.

"We can't stop him. Get out of here. Get out." Jack demanded. The Master stopped and the Doctor had the body of a very old man. Marianne squeaked and threw herself to the ground to grab him. She held him upright and hugged him as she did so, ignoring the Master's disgusted sneers. Martha also rushed over, rubbed Marianne's arm for support before taking the Doctor from her. Marianne stood up and looked at the Master angrily.

"Aw, she's a would be doctor. But tonight, Martha Jones, we've flown 'em in all the way from prison!" The Master exclaimed, and the doors slid open to reveal Francine, Clive and Tish being escorted in by armed guards.

"Mum." Martha breathed. Francine cried, knowing she'd betrayed her daughter to some extent.

"I'm sorry." She sobbed.

"The Toclafane, who are they? Who are they?" The Doctor demanded, sounding frail as he breathed heavily.

"Doctor, if I told you the truth, your hearts would break." The Master told him.

"Is it time?" A Toclafane asked.

"It is ready?"

"Is the machine singing?" Another asked. The Master checked his watch.

"Two minutes past." He said, mounting the steps and standing next to Lucy. "So! Earthlings. Basically, um, end of the world!" He exclaimed, holding up his screwdriver. "Here... Come... The.. Drums!" He roared, and Voodoo Child by the Rogue Traders came on.

Marianne watched as turmoil happened all around her. She could feel the Paradox machine activate, she could hear the Doctor's laboured breath, Francine's sob, the bass from the song resonating through the room. She saw the sky above London open up, with thousands of murderous Toclafane pouring into the city. She saw Martha look pained at the sight of her family. She heard Jack wheeze as he gathered his strength back from the laser.

And she didn't know what to do. One man she loved was wheezing on the floor, the other revelling in the pain and misery he was inflicting on the world.

"How many do you think?" The Master turned to ask her. She refused to answer. "Six billion, my sweet." He told her. "Six billion Toclafane. Down you go kids!" He exclaimed, turning back to the window. The Toclafane swarmed to Earth. They began firing randomly.

"Shall we decimate them?" He asked Lucy. "That sounds good. Nice word- decimate. Remove one tenth of the population!" He demanded. The Toclafane burst into people's houses. Marianne began to cry as she heard messages pour in from all over the world.

"_Valiant, this is Geneva! We're getting slaughtered down here!"_

Martha leaned into listen to something the Doctor had to say. She stood up and looked at her family.

"_Help us, for God's sake! Help us! They're everywhere!"_

She looked at Marianne and the Doctor one last time, before activating the teleport. Marianne continued to sob into her hands.

_"This is London, Valiant! This is London calling! What do we do?"_

_"They're killing us! The Toclafane are killing us!"_

"Oh, don't cry, my sweet. I'm doing this for you. For us." The Master told Marianne. "I'm finally doing what I planned to do all those years ago. Because I know you still love me." He said in a reprimanding tone, looking at her as she cried. She turned away from him, and looked down at the Doctor instead, who watched her intently. She sighed deeply, her chest heaving.

The Master growled and forced the Doctor to watch the Toclafane falling to Earth.

"And so it came to pass... that the human race fell and the Earth was no more. And I looked down upon my new dominion as master of all and I thought it... good." He said.


	22. Chapter 22

"Citizens rejoice. Your lord and master stands on high playing Track 13." The Master called. He began to dance to I Can't Decide by the Scissor Sisters. He slid over to Lucy who was wearing a long red gown. He kissed her.

"I can't decide whether you should live or die, though you'll probably go to Heaven. Please don't hang your head and cry." He sang. He went and sat in a chair and stared at Marianne, who was handcuffed to a wall; he hadn't decided what to do with her yet. Francine came and served the Master tea.

"No wonder why my heart feels dead inside. It's cold and hard and petrified. Lock the doors and close the blinds, we're going for a ride..." He continued. "Oh I could throw you in a lake or feed you poisoned birthday cake. I won't deny I'm gonna miss you when you're gone..." He said, staring straight at Marianne. He then ran up to the bridge and rang a bell.

The Doctor crawled out of a tent on the floor. Beside the tent was a bowl that read "Dog." It was the fifth he'd had, Marianne having smashed the previous four in rage. He forced him into a wheelchair. He pushed him around the room, gliding along to the music and ending up at the window.

"It's ready to rise, Doctor. The new Time Lord Empire." He said. "It's good, isn't it? Isn't it good? Anything? No? Anything?" He waved a hand in front of the Doctor's blank face. "Oh, but they broke your hearts, didn't they? Those Toclafane, ever since you worked out what they really are. They say Martha Jones... has come back home. Now why would she do that?" He asked. The Doctor didn't reply so instead he went to Marianne.

He brushed a hand down her cheek. "What about you, will you reply to me Mari?" He asked.

"Leave her alone." She said weakly.

"But he said something to her, didn't he? And you know, my sweet. On the day I took control." He let her go, unlocking her handcuffs so she fell slightly. He grabbed her waist to stable her. "What did he tell her?" He whispered in her ear. Marianne didn't reply.

"Tell me." He urged gently, his breath whispering in her ear.

"Okay." She said. The Doctor snapped his head up. "I'll tell you.. But you can go to hell first." She hissed, although it almost killed her to do so. The Master leaned back and smirked at her. He cocked an eyebrow before rushing to the Doctor.

"Hell. Doable." He smiled, pushing the Doctor so his wheelchair hit a wall. "Come on, people! What are we doing? Launch day in 24 hours!" The Master exclaimed. Marianne coughed three times. The Doctor pressed three fingers against him leg as Francine walked past. As she passed Clive in the corridor, she held three fingers up. As he passed Tish, he signalled to her with three fingers. When Tish approached a chained up Jack, she smiled.

"Morning, Tish." Jack said, cheerful. His wrists were manacled, his arms outstretched. "Ah, smell that sea air. Makes me long for good old fish and chips." He laughed. "What do I get? Cold mashed swede. Some hotel. Last time I book over the internet.." He joked. Tish smiled and fed him some food. She held three fingers against the tray. Jack winked upon seeing it.

The time was 14:58. The Doctor looked at Francine and Tish. Jack began to pull on his chains as the Master walked into the Doctor's dog bed room with Lucy.

"Time for my massage. Who shall I have today? Tanya, come on, sweetheart. Lucy, have you met Tanya? She's gorgeous. Tanya, when we get to the stars, I'm gonna take you to Katria Nova. Whirlpools of gold." The Master promised her.

The bolts holding Jack down slowly undid. He groaned as the chains pulled free. He laughed to himself and grabbed a steam hose. He sprayed the guard with it, burning the man. At the same time, Clive threw water on exposed wiring, starting a fire.

"Condition red!" The PA announced. The Master jumped from the massage table.

"What the hell?" He demanded, rushing up to the bridge. Francine grabbed the Master's jacket and threw it to Tish, who handed it to Marianne. She fumbled for the laser screwdriver and threw it to the Doctor, who would have the better shot. He aimed it at the Master.

"Oh, I see." The Master said, holding his hands up.

"I told you." The Doctor snapped.

The Master laughed. "Isomorphic controls." He said as the Doctor tried to shoot the laser. "Which means they only work for me. Like this." He said, backhanding the Doctor so he fell from his chair and grabbing the laser and shooting the wall beside Marianne. "Tell me you're sorry!" He demanded, angry. She shook her head.

"Tell me you're sorry!" He repeated, his voice breaking once more. Marianne shook her head again, her lip trembling as she threatened to cry. The Master ran at her, the laser pointed at her. When he reached her, his arm dropped and he looked at her, looking painfully like a child. Her chest heaved slightly.

At the same time as each other, they both wrapped their arms around each other. The Master almost collapsed into her, his chest heaving as was hers.

"I'm sorry." She told him, saying it over and over, burying her face in his neck. The Doctor watched from the floor, not knowing what to think.

He stood up after a few minutes, composed once more. He took her damp face in his hands. "Don't you know, Mari, that siding with the Doctor is a very dangerous thing to do?" He asked, obviously upset. He let her go and walked away. "Take them away." He said, gesturing to the Jones'.

Marianne looked down at the Doctor but he looked away. He knew she wasn't taking the Master's side. It was hard to hate someone when you loved them, he thought. She'd known him since she was a baby. As if she could hate him.

The Master helped the Doctor into his chair, knowing it must have hurt him to see Marianne succumb to the Master like that. "There you go, Gramps. Oh, do you know, I remember the days when the Doctor, oh, that famous Doctor, was waging a Time War. Battling Sea Devils and Axons. He sealed the rift at the Medusa Cascade single-handed. Ooh. And look at him now. Stealing screwdrivers. How did he ever come to this? Oh yeah. Me!" He exclaimed, laughing manically.

"I just need you to listen." The Doctor pleaded.

"No, it's my turn. Revenge! You took Marianne, and now I'm taking her back, by force! But my revenge this time... Is a message for Miss Jones." The Master said.

He rushed to a camera and messed about with the controls for a moment, plugging them in to transmit to televisions.

"My people. Salutations on this, the eve of war. Lovely woman. But I know there's all sorts of whispers down there. Stories of a child, walking the Earth, giving you hope." He said, going to the Doctor's side. "But I ask you... How much hope has this man got? Say hello, Gandalf. Except he's not that old but he's an alien with a much greater lifespan than you stunted, little apes. What if it showed? What if I suspended your capacity to regenerate? All 900 years of your life, Doctor. What if we could see them?" He asked. He used the screwdriver on him. Marianne burst from her seat and tried to pull him away, or pull the screwdriver from his hand; but she couldn't. "Older and older and older. Down you go, Doctor." He said as the Doctor fell to the floor.

Marianne gave up trying to help and resorted to sobbing. She didn't know what the hell she could do. She watched as the Master bent down to see the Doctor's clothes lying on the floor, huge and empty. A large, domed shape head peered out with large blinking bambi eyes appeared from the neck of the shirt. The Master walked up to the camera.

"Received and understood, Miss Jones?" He asked sinisterly, before ending the transmission. Marianne stood up and went to the Master and continually hit his chest, quite hard as well, punching him while all he could do was let her. He stood with his arms by his side as she scratched and tore at his shirt, aiming to maim.

"I hate you." She cried over and over, before going to the Doctor's aid. The Master had to admit, she had hurt him. More than he'd been hurt in a long time.

The Master had put the tiny Doctor in a large bird cage, to humiliate him further. The Master walked into the room with a timid Lucy behind him.

"Tomorrow, they launch." He said. "We're opening up a rift in the Braccatolian space. They won't see us coming. Kinda scary."

"Then stop." The Doctor said, gripping the bars with his tiny hands while Marianne stood next to his cage. She hadn't left him since he'd been turned into an old man.

"Once the empire is established and there's a new Gallifrey in the heavens, maybe then... it stops." The Master said, looking at Marianne. "The drumming. The never ending drum beat." He said gently. "Ever since a child and we looked into the vortex. That's when it chose me. The drumming, the call to war. Can't you hear it? Listen, come here, sweetheart." He said, putting his hands on her temple. He closed his eyes and fed the sound into her head.

She heard it and her eyes shot open and she backed away. He smiled at her. The door to the room opened and Toclafane streamed in.

"Tomorrow, the war. Tomorrow we rise. Never to fall." One said.

"You see? Marianne, I'm doing it for them! You should be grateful! I'm doing this for you, and for them! Don't you see? I love you both so very, very much." He said. "I took Lucy to Utopia. A Time Lord and his human companion. I took her to see the stars. Isn't that right?" He asked, sounding almost brutal.

"Trillions of years into the future. To the end of the universe." Lucy breathed.

"Tell them what you saw." The Master instructed.

"Dying. Everything dying. The whole of creation was falling apart. And I thought... There's no point. No point to anything. Not ever."

"And it's all your fault." The Master said, accusing the Doctor. "You should have seen it. Furnaces, burning. The last of humanity screaming at the dark. All that human invention that had sustained them across the eons. It all turned inwards. They cannibalised themselves."

"We made ourselves so pretty." A Toclafane said.

"Regressing into children. But it didn't work. The universe was collapsing around them." The Master continued. "My masterpiece. A TARDIS strong enough to hold the paradox in place, allowing the past and future to collide in infinite majesty."

"But you're changing history. Not just Earth, the entire universe." Marianne refuted.

"I'm a Time Lord. I have the right." He retorted.

"But even then, why come all this way to destroy?" The Doctor asked the Master.

"I want a new empire, Time Lord and human. And I want to have something back that you stole from me. And I'm taking her back tomorrow, if you don't mind." He said.

The Doctor was sleeping, curled up in his cage. Marianne was sleeping on the floor underneath him, using bedsheets that Lucy had given her. The doors slid open and the Master walked in on tip toes. He turned on the light, only to turn it off again.

He walked quietly over to Marianne, and looked down on her, watching her sleep. Her blonde hair, loosely curled, was splayed out on the pillow and when she breathed, fly aways blew up and down. Her mouth was in a pout, and her eyes were shut tight. And then he saw something. She was cradling the Doctor's sonic to her chest.

He frowned and stood up, not bothering about the noise he made. This time he turned the light on for good.

"Guess what?" He boomed out, smirking as they both woke up. "I've found Martha Jones."

In the morning, the Master watched as the door to the conference room opened and Martha Jones was escorted in. She walked forwards alone. To one side she looked at her family, and to the other she saw Jack; who looked tired and skinny. At the base of the stairs was the Doctor in his cage, and stood next to the Master was Lucy and Marianne. She smiled softly, seeing the handcuffs and knowing that Marianne hadn't betrayed them. Jack went to go to her, but guards stopped him.

"Your teleport device. In case you thought I'd forgotten." The Master said. Martha reached into her pocket and threw the manipulator at him. "And now, kneel." He ordered, which Martha did. "Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. Two hundred thousand ships set to burn across the universe. Are we ready?" The Master asked into his comm device.

"Three minutes to align the black hole converters. Counting down!" The Master exclaimed. A clock on the wall counted down the seconds. "I never could resist a ticking clock. My children, are you ready?"

"We will fly and blaze and slice! We will fly and blaze and slice!" The Toclafane chanted.

"At zero, to mark this day, the child Martha Jones will die. Ha, my first blood. Any last words? No?" He asked, looking at the Doctor. "Such a disappointment, this one. Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the time vortex. This one's useless!" The Master exclaimed.

"Bow your head. And so it falls to me, Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords! From this day forward-" The Master trailed, only to stop when Martha chuckled. "What? What's so funny?" He demanded.

"A gun?" Martha asked, looking up at him.

"What about it?" The Master asked. Marianne smiled.

"A gun in four parts?" She asked.

"Yes, and I destroyed it last night." He confirmed.

"A gun in four parts scattered across the world? I mean, come on. Did you really believe that?" Martha sneered. The Master's smile dropped.

"What do you mean?" He demanded.

"As if I would ask her to kill." The Doctor called.

"Oh, well. It doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her." The Master shrugged.

"But I knew what Professor Docherty would do. The Resistance knew about her son. I told her about the gun, so she'd get me here. At the right time." Martha explained.

"Oh, but you're still gonna die!" He exclaimed.

"Don't you wanna know what she was doing?" Marianne questioned.

"Tell me." He demanded.

"I told a story, that's all. No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor said. I went across the continents all on my own. And everywhere I went, I found the people, and I told them my story. I told them about the Doctor. And I told them to pass it on, to spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor." Martha continued.

"Faith and hope? Is that all?" The Master sneered.

"No, 'cause I gave them an instruction. Just as the Doctor said. " Martha said, standing up. "I told them that if everyone thinks one word, at one specific point, right across the world. One word, just one thought, at one moment." Martha said. The Master laughed.

"But with fifteen satellites!" Marianne concluded. The Master's laugh stopped.

"What?" He demanded.

"The Archangel Network." Jack smiled.

"A telepathic field binding the whole human race together, with all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word is... Doctor." Martha concluded. The countdown reached zero and rings glowed around the Doctor.

"Stop it. No, no, no you don't!" The Master exclaimed angrily.

"Doctor." Jack said with eyes closed.

"Doctor." Francine did the same. A large plasma screen on the wall showed millions of people, all around the world, whispering the same word.

"Stop this right now! Stop it!" The Master proclaimed.

"Doctor." Lucy said, her eyes closed.

"Doctor."

"Doctor." Martha said. The Doctor broke from the cage, now his usual young self, with his amazing hair.

"Doctor." Marianne said, the only one with her eyes open. She smiled at him, and he grinned and winked at her.

"I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with it's matrices. One thing you shouldn't have done is let Marianne around me. She helped." The Doctor explained.

"Doctor." Lucy said.

"Doctor." Marianne said. The Doctor himself was levitating through the air.

"The one thing you can't do. Stop them thinking." The Doctor said. Martha, Jack and Marianne laughed. The Master looked shocked.

"Tell me the human race is degenerate now, when they can do this." The Doctor demanded. Martha went to hug her family.

"No!" The Master exclaimed, firing the laser at the Doctor, who simply deflected it.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The Doctor said.

"Then I'll kill them!" The Master exclaimed, aiming the laser at Martha. The Doctor threw it across the room telekinetically. "You can't do this!"

"And you know what happens now." Marianne said. The Master backed away into the stairs.

"You wouldn't listen." The Doctor said. "Because you know what I'm going to say."

"No!" the Master exclaimed, curling into a foetal position. The Doctor landed and walked over to the Master, wrapping his arms around him.

"I forgive you." The Doctor said.

"My children!" The Master cried.

"Jack! The paradox machine!" Marianne called, also walking over to the Master. He looked up at her and grabbed the collar of her jacket, pulling her into an embrace.

"I love you, I love you. This was for you. I love you." He whimpered, before activating the manipulator. The Master and Marianne transported onto a rocky cliff.

"Now it ends. Now it ends." He told her.

"We've got control of the Valiant, you can't launch." Marianne told him gently.

"Oh, but I've got this." The Master told her, holding up a device. "Black hole converter inside every ship. If I can't have you, Mari, then neither can he. We shall stand upon this Earth, together, as it burns!" He exclaimed.

Marianne knew what she had to do. She walked over to him slowly, putting a hand on his face. He paused, looking at her. She moved forwards, pressing her lips onto his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he put his hands on her waist, dropping the converter. He span her slightly, bending her down every so slightly so he had the control. Her hands went to his hair and messed it up, feeling her heart beating faster. And she moved one hand from his hair and into his pocket, where she pulled out the vortex manipulator. She then reached onto the high rock that the converter had fallen onto, all whilst still kissing him, and put that in her pocket. She then leaned back, grabbed the Master's hand and activated the manipulator.

They landed back in the Valiant, and Marianne walked to the Doctor and handed him the black hole converter, slightly shaken. As they stood there, the Toclafane disappeared, the paradox being destroyed. The ship rocked and Martha fell backwards, only to be caught by the Doctor, who smiled.

"Everyone down, time is reversing!" The Doctor yelled, falling to the floor and pulling Marianne with him. They led down in a clover shape, all looking at each other and revelling in being in each other's presence again.

Francine looked to her left and spotted a gun lying on the floor. She eyed up the Master who was clinging to the bridge, tears in his eyes as he watched Marianne. Time had rolled back one year, and the humans didn't even know.

The Doctor stood and checked the controls. "The paradox is broken. We've reverted back, one year and one day. Two minutes past eight in the morning." He smiled. "Just after the president was killed, just before the spheres arrived. Everything back to normal. Planet Earth restored. None of it happened. The rockets, the terror. It never was."

"What about the spheres?" Martha asked.

"Trapped at the end of the universe." Marianne said.

"But I remember it." Francine spoke up.

"We're at the eye of the storm. The only ones who'll ever know." The Doctor said, before spotting Clive. "Oh, hello! You must be Mr Jones! We haven't actually met." He said happily.

The Master made a break for it but was stopped by Jack.

"Whoa, big fella! You don't want to miss this party." Jack said, who then cuffed him. "So, what do we do with this one?"

"We kill him." Clive said.

"No." Marianne said, her voice hard.

"Oh, I think so. 'Cause all those things, they still happened because of him. I saw them." Francine said, holding up the gun at the Master.

"Go on! Do it!" The Master roared, only to be stopped by Marianne who got in the way. If Francine shot, she'd get Marianne.

"You're better than him." The Doctor said, and she dropped the gun. The Doctor hugged her. Martha rushed over, and the Doctor passed her over.

"What happens to me?" The Master demanded, nudging Marianne so she moved.

"You're our responsibility from now on. The only Time Lords left in existence." The Doctor said.

"You're gonna keep me?" The Master demanded.

"No. Marianne's gonna keep you. You make her happy, and that means more to me than anything else." The Doctor said, resigning himself to his fate. If Marianne wanted to be with the Master, he'd let her.

A gunshot rang out and the Master staggered backwards. Lucy was holding the gun. Jack took the gun from Lucy as the Doctor and Marianne rushed to the Master.

"There you go. I've got you." Marianne cooed, lowering him to the floor.

"The women. They always killed me." The Master said.

"I didn't see her." Marianne said, her voice breaking.

"Dying in your arms. Happy now?" He demanded.

"You're not dying. Please don't die. Just regenerate." Marianne begged.

"No." He smiled.

"One little bullet. Do it. For me." She begged.

"I guess you don't know me so well anymore, Mari. I refuse." He told her.

"Just do it! Do it! Please! Just do it! Come on!" Marianne exclaimed, her voice breaking as she cried.

"And spend the rest of my life watching you two fall in love?" He demanded.

"I love you." Marianne squeaked.

"But you love him more." The Master told her, and she nodded. She kissed him once more, quickly.

"Just do it." She whispered into his lips.

"How about that, Mari? I win." He smiled. "I love you." He promised her, before dying in her arms. Marianne crushed his head to her chest, her eyes squeezed shut as she rocked him back and forth. She screamed in despair at her loss, as the others simply looked on. Martha went to her side and took the Master from her, bundling her heaving body into the Doctor's arms, who also had tears in his eyes as he hugged her.

The Doctor, Martha, Marianne and Jack stood by the Pierhead Building overlooking the bay in Cardiff.

"Time was, every single one of these people knew your name. Now they've all forgotten you." Martha said, smiling when she saw the Doctor and Marianne holding hands.

"Good." The Doctor smiled tightly.

"Back to work." Jack shrugged.

"Come with us." Marianne said.

"I had plenty of time to think that past year. The Year That Never Was. And I kept thinking about that team of mine. Like you said, Doctor. Responsibility." He smiled.

"Defending the Earth. Can't argue with that." The Doctor grinned, shaking his hand but exposing the manipulator.

"Hey, I need that!" Jack exclaimed as the Doctor took it off him.

"I can't have you walking around with a time travelling teleport." He said, using his sonic on it. "You could go anywhere-twice. The second time to apologize." He joked.

"And what about me? Can you fix that? Will I ever be able to die?" Jack asked.

"Nothing I can do. You're an impossible thing, Jack." The Doctor smiled fondly.

"Been called that before." Jack laughed. Jack then turned to Martha, whom he hugged tightly. He then turned to Marianne, who he did the same. He turned to leave, but then stopped. "I keep wondering.. What about aging? I can't die but I keep getting older. The odd little grey hair, you know? What happens if I live for a million years?" Jack asked.

"I really don't know." The Doctor replied.

"Okay, vanity." Jack chuckled. "Can't help it. Used to be a poster boy back when I was a kid on the Boeshane Pennisula. Tiny little place. I was the first one ever to be signed up for the Time Agency. They were so proud of me. The Face of Boe, they called me." He smiled. The trio looked shocked. "Hm. Until the next time!" He exclaimed happily, running through the square to see his team.

"Can't be." Marianne said.

"No, definitely not." The Doctor said. Marianne and Martha both laughed. "No." He said again, laughing with them.

Martha made sure her family was alright before joining the duo in the TARDIS.

"Right then!" The Doctor exclaimed. "Off we go! The open road! There is a burst starfire right now over the coast of Meta Sigmafolio. Oh, the sky is like oil on water. Fancy a look? Or... Back in time. We could... Oh, I don't know. Charles II? Henry VIII? What about Agatha Christie! I'd love to meet Agatha Christie! I bet she's brilliant!" The Doctor rambled, before realising that Martha wasn't smiling. He sobered.

"Okay." Marianne said sadly.

"I just can't." Martha said.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Spent all those years training as a doctor. Now I've got people to look after. They saw half the planet slaughtered and they're devastated. I can't leave them." Martha explained.

"Of course not." The Doctor smiled. "Thank you." He said, hugging Martha. "Martha Jones, you saved the world."

"Yeah, I did. I spent a lot of time with you thinking I was second best. But you know what? I am good." She grinned, and Marianne laughed, despite the pain in her eyes. "You gonna be alright?" She asked Marianne.

"Yeah." She nodded. Martha rushed over to her best friend and hugged her tightly, the girls spinning around with the force of the hug.

"I love you." Marianne told her.

"Love you too." Martha replied, kissing her cheek before going to leave. She then came back in.

"The thing is, it's like my friend Vicky. She lived with this bloke, student housing, there were five of them, all packed in, and this bloke was called Sean. And she loved him, she did. She completely adored him. Spent all day long talking about him." Martha said, nodding to Marianne who knew what she was going to say.

"Is this going anywhere?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes!" Martha exclaimed. "'Cause he never looked at her twice. I mean, he liked her, but that was it. And she wasted years pining after him, years of her life, 'cause while he was around, she never looked at anyone else. And Marianne herself told her, she said, Get out. So this is me, following my best friends instructions. I'm getting out." She smiled. Marianne went to hug her once more. When they finished, Martha tossed the Doctor her phone. "Keep that. 'Cause I'm not having you two disappear. If that rings, you better come running. Got it?"

"Got it." Marianne smiled.

"I'll see you again, love birds." She smirked, and left, shutting the doors behind her.

When she left, Marianne's composure left with her. She turned to the Doctor, who understood. He pressed her to his chest, and she leaned her head against him.

She leaned back, and he looked down on her. He bent down his head slightly, and she tilted hers. As soon as their lips met, it was like a bomb had gone of. Her hands were tangled in his hair and his were running up and down her back, stroking it.

And of course, they had to be interrupted. A ships horn was heard and something crashed into the TARDIS, causing them to jump apart. They both fell to the floor, and as the Doctor looked up, he saw an ocean liner had broken through the wall.

"What?!" He coughed. When Marianne looked up, she coughed too.

"What?!" She demanded. She picked up a life preserver, looked at it before showing the Doctor.

"What?!" They both demanded.

Whoo! We're finished! I always feel incredibly sorry for Martha, and Marianne probably didn't make the whole thing any better!

Hope you liked the relationship between Marianne and the Master, I needed something else to get in the way of Marianne and the Doctor's relationship, as it will in the sequel. All this will make it ten times better when they officially get together, don't you agree?

And they kissed! Finally! But Marianne has yet to tell the Doctor that he wasn't the first kiss she had that day...

Ooh! Please review.

-Fay x


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